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*     MAR  5  1903   *, 


BX  9178  .B8  1902 

Burrell,  David  James,  1844 

1926. 
A  quiver  of  arrows 


A    QUIVER    OF    ARROWS 


u4  Quiver  of  Arrows 

BEING   CHARACTERISTIC   SERMONS    OF 

DAVID  JAMES  BURRELL,D.D.,LL.D. 

DELIVERED  IN  THE  MARBLE  COLLEGIA  TE  CHURCH 
OF  NEW  YORK  CITY 


SELECTED    AND    EPITOMIZED    BY 

THOMAS    DOUGLAS,    Ph.D. 

WITH   AN    INTRODUCTION    BY 

WAYLAND   HOYT,    D.D.,    LL.D. 


FUNK    &   WAGNALLS   COMPANY 

NEW   YORK   AND   LONDON 
1902 


Copyright,  1902,  by 

FUNK   &   WAGNAIyl.S   COMPANY 

[Printed  in  the  United  States  of  A  merica] 

Published  in  November,  1903 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 

Preface ix 

Introduction.      By  Wayland  Hoyt,  D.D.  LL.D xi 

TEXTUAL   SERMONS 

CHAPTER 

I     Ahab's  Harness 3 

II     Come  and  See 9 

III  In  No  Wise 14 

IV  One  Thing 16 

EXPOSITORY    SERMONS 

V     Asking  the  Way 21 

VI     The  Twice-taught  Lesson 25 

VII     Losing  One's  Life 29 

VIII     The  Jericho  Road 32 

IX     The  Silent  Architect 37 

X     Hobab  of  Akaba 42 

XI     Loose  Him,  and  Let  Him  Go 49 

XII     How  Jericho  Fell 54 

XIII  The  Perfect  Law  of  Liberty 58 

XIV  Standards  of  Measurement 62 

XV     God  and  the  People 66 

XVI     The  Lord's  Horses  and  Chariots 72 

XVII     Don't  Worry 76 

XVIII     The  Delays  of  Providence 84 

XIX     The  Spirit  of  the  Age 88 

XX     Gleaning 92 


VI  A    QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 
TOPICAL  SERMONS 

CHAPTER  PAOX 

XXI     Character  Building lOi 

XXII     Seven  Wonders lo6 

XXIII  Shall  We  Know  Each  Other  in  Heaven  ?    ...  in 

XXIV  Wild  Oats ii8 

XXV     The  Hindered  Builders 122 

XXVI     The  Lepers  of  Samaria 127 

XXVII     The  Duty  of  Faultfinding 131 

XXVIII     The  Branded  Conscience 136 

XXIX     Good  out  of  Nazareth 142 

XXX     Saul  at  the  Witch's  Cave .149 

XXXI     Esther  in  Shushan 154 

XXXII     Business 158 

XXXIII  Choosing  a  Friend 162 

XXXIV  Birds  of  Passage ...  167 

XXXV     The  Lost  Opportunity 172 

XXXVI     The  Logic  of  Events 179 

XXXVII     At  Their  Wits'  End 185 

XXXVIII     Stumbling-blocks 190 

XXXIX     The  Fading  Leaf 194 

XL     The  Outside  of  the  Platter 198 

XLI     The  Sign  of  the  Prophet  Jonas 203 

XLII     In  the  Fields  at  Eventide 207 

XLIII     Shibboleth 210 

XLIV     Sunday  Pleasures 217 

XLV     Making  Haste 222 

XLVI     Wisdom 227 

XLVII     Paul  at  Athens 232 

XLVIII     The  Mother  Bird  and  Her  Young 238 

DOCTRINAL   SERMONS 

XLIX     Let  Us  Go   On 245 

L     The  Resurrection  Here  and  Now 250 


CONTENTS 


Vll 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

LI     Assurance 255 

LII     Orthodoxy 260 

LIII     The  Old  Book  and  the  New  Century      ....  265 

LIV     Offended  in  Christ 272 

LV     Yom  Kippur 276 

LVI     He  Shall  So  Come 279 

LVII     The  Golden  Passional 285 

BIOGRAPHICAL    SERMONS 

LVIII     Washington 291 

LIX     Judas  Iscariot 297 

LX     A  Coward,  and  What  Became  of  Him  (Pilate)    .  303 

LXI     Joan  of  Arc 309 

LXII     Cromwell 314 

ETHICAL    SERMONS 

LXIII     The  Ascent  of  Man 323 

LXIV     Waste  of  Power 327 

LXV     The  Secret  of  Power 331 

SOCIOLOGICAL   SERMONS 

LXVI     The  Church  and  the  Saloon 337 

LXVII     The  Sunday  Newspaper 345 

ANNIVERSARY    SERMONS 
LXVIII     Come  In,  Thou   Blessed    of   the   Lord  (A  New- 
year's  Meditation) 353 

LXIX     The  First  Easter  Sermon 359 

LXX     Taxing   Under  Cyrenius  (A  Christmas  Medita- 
tion)      363 

Topical  Index 371 


P  R  E  F  A  CE 


^T^  HE  Gospel  that  is  preached  from  the  pulpit  of  The 
pi.        Marble  Collegiate  Church  of    New   York   at- 
^^^      tradls  more  than  that  limited  circle  of  hearers 
known  as  a  "  parish  congregation, ' '    and  yet 
reaches  hearers  other  in  kind  than  the  heterogeneous  as- 
sembly of  ' '  seekers  for  the  new  thing, ' '  which  is  known 
as  a  "  metropolitan  audience. ' '     I,overs  of  the  old  Gospel, 
that  which  has  been  ' '  delivered  to  the  saints ' '  in  all  ages, 
are  those  who  turn  their  steps  toward  this  church.    They 
come  from  every  part  of  the  country.     A  Southern  railway 
magnate  voiced  a  common  feeling  when  he  said  to  the 
writer  :   ' '  Whenever  my  business  takes  me  to  New  York, 
the  most  delightful  anticipation  of  the  trip  is  that  I  shall 
hear  Dr.  Burrell.     He  is  a  preacher  fearless  and  true — a 
man  among  men." 

It  is  for  such  members  of  Dr.  Burrell' s  wide  parish,  as 
well  as  for  those  who  have  never  had  the  opportunity  of 
hearing  him,  that  the  present  selection  of  the  best  and 
most  typical  of  his  discourses  has  been  made.  It  is  hoped 
that  these  sermons  will  serve  not  only  for  delight  and 
edification,  but  for  use  and  inspiration.  Young  preach- 
ers, and  preachers  not  so  young,  students  in  theolog- 
ical seminaries,  members  of  the  Y.M.C.A.  and  of  the 
Y.P.S.C.E.,  will  find  in  them  models  of  exposition  and 
homiletic  method. 

Dr.  Burrell  has  no  "mannerisms,"  no  tricks  of  phrase 
or  figure,  and  yet  the  happy  and  wholly  unexpected  turn 

ix 


TEXTUAL    SERMONS 


A  QUIVER  OF   ARROWS 


ARAB'S    HARNESS 

And  a  certain  man  drew  a  bow  at  a  venture,  and 
smote  the  king  of  Israel  between  the  joints  of 
the  harness  :  wherefore  said  he  unto  the  driver 
of  the  chariot,  Turn  thine  hand,  and  carry  me 
out  of  the  host  ;  for  I  am  wounded. 

—I.  Kings  xxii :  34. 


/\     S  THERE  is  something  good  in  every  man,  so 

•*^         there  was  something  good  in  Ahab.     He  was 

^^        a  good  soldier,  and  fought  bravely  at  Ramoth- 

gilead,  where  he  fell.     He  was  enterprising,  as 

the  prosperit}'  of  his  kingdom  plainly  proves.     He  had 

noble  impulses,  but  they  were  misdirected.     He  tried  to 

please  everybody,  and  wound  up  by  pleasing  nobody. 

One  thing  spoiled  all — he  had  no  religion.  He  left  that 
to  his  wife,  who  was  the  ' '  Bloody  Mary ' '  of  his  period. 

Ahab  was  a  typical  charadler. 

There  are  men  of  generous  endowment,  biblical  culture, 
fine  impulses,  high  ambition ;  but  they  lack  religion.  They 
negledt  to  take  God  into  partnership  with  them,  as  Ahab 
negledted  to  take  God  with  him  when  he  went  into  battle 
against  the  Syrians.  The  flaws  in  his  harness  were  the 
means  of  his  downfall.     Look  out  for  flaws  in  charadler. 

I.   A  FLAW  IN  THE  BREASTPLATE 

The  breastplate  covers  the  heart.  The  heart  is  the 
center  of  life. 

8 


4  A   QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

So  religion  is  a  sure  defense.  No  arrow  can  enter 
there.  It  covers  the  heart  as  with  impenetrable  mail. 
The  mob  stoned  Stephen,  Herod  murdered  John  the 
Baptist,  Nero  decapitated  Paul,  and  the  Jews  killed 
Christ ;  but  the  heart  of  none  of  them  was  even  so  much 
as  touched.     The  breastplate  was  without  a  flaw. 

II.   A  DEFECT  IN  THE  HELMET 

The  helmet  covers  the  brain,  the  seat  of  the  mind. 
Mind  and  heart  do  not  adl  independently  of  each  other. 
The  one  sympathizes  with  the  other.  Beliefs  and  affec- 
tions cooperate. 

Both  heart  and  mind  need  protedtion  : 

1.  Against  false  philosophy. — We  say  that  philosophy 
is  a  knowledge  of  the  just  relation  of  things.  Man 
should  be  in  just  relation  with  God.  When  he  is  not,  he 
is  apt  to  swing  off  into  all  sorts  of  absurdities.  For  one 
thing,  he  will  magnify  himself  and  minimize  God.  Infi- 
delity, unbelief,  and  all  sin  are  bom  of  this.  The  helmet 
is  defedlive.  Should  he  catch  a  right  glimpse  of  God,  he 
would  cry  out  with  Isaiah,  ' '  Woe  is  me,  for  I  am  a  man 
of  unclean  life,  and  mine  eyes  have  seen  the  King." 

2.  Against  unsanctified  ambition. — It  is  so  easy  to  fall 
into  this  error.  Just  lie  on  your  oars  and  the  drifting  is 
inevitable.  Even  the  apostles,  tho  surrounded  with  the 
best  of  influences  and  under  the  tuition  of  Christ  himself, 
became  victims  of  it.  Scripture  is  full  of  warning  against 
it.  Experience  is  embittered  by  it.  Wrecks  are  here 
and  there  all  along  the  history  of  men  and  of  nations. 

3.  Against  the  darts  of  the  devil. — The  Arabs  are  ex- 
perts in  the  use  of  the  spear.  The  blow  is  deadly.  Not 
more  so  than  the  darts  of  the  devil.  These  are  fiery 
darts — burning,  poisonous,  deadly.    They  are  so  skilfully 


AHAB'S  HARNESS  5 

handled  that  none  save  the  God-man  has  ever  success- 
fully warded  them  off.  They  flew  thick  and  fast  all 
about  Him  in  the  wilderness,  during  His  ministry,  and  in 
Gethsemane's  garden. 

Aside  from  Christ,  every  human  being  since  Adam's 
day  has  been  hit  and  hurt.  This  evil  archer  has  acquired 
great  skill  and  dexterity  at  dart-throwing.  He  is  more 
than  a  match  for  the  legendary  William  Tell  as  a  target- 
hitter.  He  is  powerful,  intelligent,  and  persistent — an 
enemy  to  be  dreaded.  See  well  to  the  helmet  of  salva- 
tion, that  no  dart  of  the  devil  may  enter  to  wound  the 
brain. 

III.  AN  OPEN  VISOR 

The  visor  covers  the  eyes.  I^ust,  covetousness,  and 
envy  stand  ready  to  enter  the  soul  through  the  eyes. 
What  the  eyes  are  to  the  body,  dire(5ting  one's  steps, 
that  is  conscience  to  the  soul.  But  conscience,  again, 
sympathizes  with  the  heart  and  mind.  Conscience  is 
trustworthy  just  in  proportion  as  the  heart  and  mind  are 
right. 

There  is  the  danger  of  self-confidence.  Self-confidence 
is  controlled  by  self-interest.  The  force  of  moral  dis- 
tin(5lion  is  then  disturbed.  One  moral  divergence  leads 
to  another.  Conscience,  at  first  speaking  loud  and  clear 
as  a  bell,  now  utters  hoarse  sounds  and  talks  in  whispers. 

This  is  notorious  : 

I.  hi  public  matters. — Men  scrupulously  honest  in 
private  life  have  been  known  to  swerve  from  that  virtue 
in  public  life.  I  know  men  not  fifty  miles  from  New 
York  who  would  shudder  at  the  thought  of  stealing  on 
land,  but  do  not  hesitate  to  steal  their  neighbors'  oysters 
in  the  bay.  Many  a  city  has  its  public  plunderers  who 
are  reputable  as  private  citizens. 


6  A   QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

Corporations  are  soulless.  Those  who  administer 
their  afifairs  are  not  without  souls,  and  therefore  not 
without  responsibility  for  their  ill-doing. 

2.  hi  the  press. — The  press  is  a  great  power  for  good  or 
bad.  As  a  rule,  editors  in  their  individual  capacity  in- 
cline to  do  right.  Many  good  men  otherwise  shield 
themselves  behind  the  public  demand  for  news.  They 
say  that  they  simply  voice  the  sentiments  of  the  populace. 
It  used  to  be  understood  that  editors  molded  public 
opinion.  That  day  is  passed,  they  say.  Therefore,  many 
of  them  declared  for  Sunday  opening  of  the  Columbian 
Fair  and  other  world's  fairs.  Now  it  is  Sunday  opening 
of  saloons.  Those  who  set  religion  aside  in  public 
matters  are  not  the  safest  guides,  nor  are  they  to  be 
trusted  in  the  thick  of  the  conflict .  The  chance  arrow 
enters  at  the  eyes. 

IV.   A   LOOSE  GIRDLE 

In  olden  time  at  the  sound  of  the  tocsin  the  order  was 
given  to  tighten  the  girdle  and  to  strengthen  the  loins. 
Let  the  girdle  stand  for  the  will. 

1 .  Can  the  will  conquer  evil  habit  ? — Almost  any  man 
will  say  yes.  Experience  and  observation  record  miser- 
able failures.  Alexander  the  Great  conquered  the  world, 
but  the  evil  habit  of  drink  conquered  him.  He  died  a 
debauchee.  Evil  habit  is  a  conflict  of  self  with  self.  A 
soldier  who  had  fought  many  battles  met  once  at  close 
quarters  a  man  the  sight  of  whom  paralyzed  his  arm. 
He  could  not  strike  his  own  brother.  How  much  more 
difficult  to  contend  against  one's  self  !  Help  must  come 
from  without. 

2.  Can  the  will  overcome  besetting  sin  f — A  besetting  sin 
of  lust  followed  a  Christian  brother  for  fifteen  years.     He 


AHAB'S  HARNESS  7 

alternately  yielded  and  overcame,  trusting  to  his  good 
resolutions.  Tho  failures  followed  each  exercise  of  his 
will,  he  had  at  last  to  resort  to  the  power  of  the  Divine 
will.  Paul  realized  this  when  he  said,  "I  can  do  all 
things  through  Christ  which  strengtheneth  me." 

Tighten  the  girdle  of  the  will  and  unite  with  it  the 
will  of  God. 

V.  NO  SHIELD 

The  shield  covers  the  whole  person. 

The  believer's  shield  is  Faith.     He  believes : 

1.  In  God  who  made  him. 

2.  In  God  who  preserves  him. 

3.  I71  God  who  saves  him  by  His  Son. 

4.  In  God  who  sanctifies  him  by  His  Spirit. 

5.  I?i  God,  his  sovereign,  who  protects  hi^n. 

With  such  a  faith  who  can  fail  when  attacked  ?  The 
apostles  tried  it.  The  mart5^rs  tried  it.  The  multitudes 
John  saw  in  his  vision  on  Patmos  tried  it.  And  multi- 
tudes more  in  all  sorts  of  trying  circumstances  have 
tried  it,  and  still  other  multitudes  are  trying  it  now  with 
good  effe<5l.  When  hope  seems  to  fail,  be  like  the 
Quaker  who  said,  "  Hope  against  hope." 

VI.  NO   SWORD 

" The  sword  of  the  Spirit  is  the  word  of  God."  It  is 
believed  that  Gibraltar  as  a  fort  is  impregnable.  So  is 
God's  word.  The  heavens  may  fall,  but  not  God's 
word,  even  to  the  jot  and  tittle. 

So  armed,  a  believer  does  not  trust  to  mere  opinion, 
conjedlure,  nor  skill. 

Christ  found  it  the  Damascus  blade  in  His  great  temp- 
tation. 

I .  Is  it  temptation  on  the  side  of  physical  appetite  f 


8  A    QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

' '  Man  shall  not  live  by  bread  alone, ' ' 

2.  Is  it  temptation  on  the  side  of  ambition  ? 

' '  The  kingdoms  shall  be  thine  if  thou  wilt  fall  down 
and  worship  me, "  says  Satan.  The  answer  is,  "  Thou 
shalt  worship  the  lyord  thy  God. ' ' 

3.  Is  it  the  temptation  to  work  a  miracle  ? 

"If  thou  be  the  Son  of  God,  cast  thyself  down  from 
hence. ' '  No,  again  :  ' '  Thou  shalt  not  tempt  the  Lord 
thy  God." 

The  sword  of  the  Spirit  which  flashed  so  effedlively  in 
the  wilderness  is  the  same  weapon  that  every  Christian 
soldier  may  use  in  his  battle  of  life  against  sin. 

The  panoply  of  the  irreligious  man,  notwithstanding 
his  many  otherwise  splendid  qualities,  is  defedtive  at 
every  point.  What,  then,  shall  be  done?  "  Take  unto 
you  the  whole  armor  of  God."     (Ephesians  vi :  13-17.) 

I.    Watch.     2.  Pray.     3.    Tnist. 

So  armed,  the  battle  is  won. 


II 

COME   AND   SEE 


Nathanael  said  unto  him,  Can  there  any  good 
thing  come  out  of  Nazareth  ?  Philip  saith  unto 
him,  Come  and  see. 

—John  i :  46. 


Hii^iP  was  all  aglow  when  he  took  the  good  news 

a  to  Nathanael  that  he  had  found  the  Messiah. 
In  whom? 
Jesus  of  Nazareth. 
Impossible  !  Can  any  good  things  come  out  of  Naza- 
reth, that  disreputable  village  among  the  hills?  No,  no, 
Philip,  you  can  not  make  me  believe  any  such  thing  as 
that.  We  have  been  led  to  believe  that  He  will  come 
through  some  exalted  family  and  in  a  manner  befitting 
His  glorious  and  heaven-born  mission. 

Philip  saw  that  argument  was  a  waste  of  breath,  for 
his  friend  was  prejudiced.     He  did  the  sensible  thing. 
"Come  and  see."     See  for  yourself.     Nathanael  came, 
saw,  and  believed. 
Whom  did  he  see  ? 

I.  A  MAN 

A  man  is  hard  to  find.  Diogenes  sought  him  with  a 
lantern  and  could  not  find  him. 

There  are  lay-figures,  manikins,  leather  and  prunella 
imitations,  and  what  not ;  but  where  is  the  man  ? 

Jesus  differs  from  other  men  in  respedt : 

I .    To  intellect. 

He  saw  things  clearly.     No  two  eyes  are  alike.     There 

9 


10  A    QUIVER   OF  ARBOIVS 

is  a  twist  in  one  or  the  other  of  them,  and  sometimes  in 
both. 

He  saw  the  truth. 

He  delved  deep  into  all  mysteries. 

He  saw  knowledge. 

All  knowledge.  He  untied  the  knots  of  philosophy 
without  resorting  to  any  Gordian  trick.  He  touched 
these  things  with  a  fearless  hand. 

2.  To  heart. 

It  was  pure  and  benevolent.  He  hated  sin  only.  No 
human  heart  beats  precisely  as  it  should,  because  no  man 
is  wholly  free  from  sin. 

The  old  Spartan  judge  detedted  the  criminal  by  placing 
his  ear  at  the  hearts  of  the  accused.  Jesus  knew  what 
was  in  the  heart  of  man  because  His  own  heart  was  pure 
and  could  discern  the  evil  from  the  good. 

3.  To  C07iscience, 

No  ship  sails  without  a  compass.  Yet  there  is  no 
magnetic  needle  which  points  with  absolute  exadlness 
toward  the  north.  It  may  be  diverted  from  its  proper 
diredlion  by  the  magnetism  of  the  atmosphere,  of  the 
ship's  cargo,  of  nails  in  the  craft,  and  other  causes.  The 
moral  sense  in  man  is  diverted  by  sin. 

Christ's  conscience  is  perfedt  and  incapable  of  mis- 
diredlion.  He  was  able  to  see  the  finest  distindlions 
between  right  and  wrong. 

4.  To  will. 

He  always  obeyed  God  to  perfedlion.  God  says 
so.  "This  is  my  beloved  Son,  in  whom  I  am  well 
pleased."  There  is  war  in  our  members,  but  none  in 
Christ's. 

When  Israel  Putnam  led  his  Green  Mountain  Boys 
toward  the  North  in  the  French  War,  his  march  was 


COME  AND    SEE  11 

intercepted  by  a  gunboat  on  the  lake.  He  rowed  out  in 
the  night  and  put  a  wedge  in  the  rudder.  Next  morning 
the  boat  lay  helpless  with  flapping  sails.  This  is  pre- 
cisely what  sin  does  for  the  human  will. 

Christ  was  in  harmony  with  God  as  a  man  in  a  four- 
fold sense  :  as  to  His  intellect,  His  heart,  His  conscience, 
and  His  will — the  Ideal  Man  ! 

II.   A  DIVINE  MAN 

Christ  is  not  only  called  the  Son  of  Man,  but  also  the 
Son  of  God.  God  said  that  three  times  diredtly  from 
heaven  :  at  His  baptism,  at  His  transfiguration,  and  at 
His  crucifixion  (the  rumbling  earth  spoke  it,  the  light- 
nmgs  wrote  it  in  mysterious  characfters) . 

He  is  different  from  all  other  sons  of  men  : 

1 .  As  to  His  preexistence. 

' '  Before  Abraham  was,  I  am. "  "In  the  beginning  was 
the  Word  and  the  Word  was  with  God,  and  the  Word 
was  God." 

2.  As  to  His  co7nmissio7i. 

"The  Father  hath  sent  me."  "  I/d,  I  come:  in  the 
volume  of  the  book  it  is  written  of  me  to  do  thy  will, 
O  God."     Hence, 

The  Incarnation. 

The  Cross. 

He  bore  the  world's  sin  in  His  own  body  on  the 
tree. 

A  man  went  into  the  forest  and  cut  down  a  suitable 
tree.  He  conveyed  it  to  his  shop,  laid  the  measuring-Une 
upon  it,  and  said,  "The  crosspiece  must  be  twelve  spans 
and  the  uplift  must  be  ten  cubits."  And  thus  he  meas- 
ured the  wood  on  which  Jesus  died.  But  who  can  measure 
the  cross  in  its  truer  and  higher  sense  ?     It  is  as  vast  as 


12  A    QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

the  procession  of  the  ages,  broad  as  the  world,  high  as 
heaven,  and  deep  as  hell.  This  is  the  magnet  which  is 
drawing  the  world  to  itself. 

3.  As  to  His  departure  from  earth  to  heaven. 

His  going  was  as  unique  as  His  coming.  He  ascended 
not  in  a  chariot,  but  simply  rose  of  His  own  power 
higher  and  higher  until  He  was  lost  to  the  view  of  the 
gazing  multitude. 

4.  As  to  His  coming  again. 

' '  He  shall  so  come  as  ye  have  seen  him  go. "  There 
is  one  chapter  still  to  be  written  in  the  life  of  this  Jesus 
of  Nazareth.  On  His  return  the  rounding  out  of  His 
Divine  career  will  be  completed. 

III.   THE   MESSIAH 

The  Messianic  titles  are  ' '  Son  of  Man ' '  and  ' '  Son 
of  God, ' '  blending  perfedl  manhood  with  Godhead. 

When  Nathanael  came  to  Jesus  and  entered  into  con- 
versation with  Him,  he  was  convinced  that  he  had  found 
the  Messiah. 

The  Messiah  was  the  intermediary  between  God  and 
man,  like  Jacob's  ladder,  whose  foot  rested  on  the  earth 
and  the  top  reached  to  heaven.  The  angels  took  up  the 
prayers  and  suflFerings  of  the  fleeing  exile  and  returned 
with  blessings  for  him. 

Jesus  is  here  bearing  our  burdens  on  the  one  hand,  and 
on  the  other  hand  working  out  our  eternal  welfare.  He 
makes  it  His  special  business  to  save  souls.  We  wonder 
at  the  conversion  of  Saul,  who  was  at  one  moment 
breathing  out  slaughter  and  the  next  a  penitent  sinner 
seeking  forgiveness  ;  at  Luther,  who  was  one  moment  a 
slave  to  superstition  and  the  next  the  champion  of  justi- 
fication by  faith ;  at  John  Newton,  who  was  once  the 


COME  AND   SEE  13 

swearing  sailor,  a  pirate,  swinging  in  his  hammock,  then 
a  Christian,  singing : 

"  Amazing  grace!  how  sweet  the  sound 
That  saved  a  wretch  like  me; 
I  once  was  lost,  but  now  am  found — 
Was  blind,  but  now  I  see." 

Jesus  is  also  at  work  among  the  nations.  He  converts 
a  nation  just  as  He  does  a  man.  He  has  laid  His  hand 
upon  one  nation  after  another,  saving  it  from  heathen 
darkness  and  superstition,  until  to-day  we  see  the  map 
reconstrudled.  Japan  is  on  its  knees  ;  China  trembles  at 
His  glance  ;  Turkey  is  writhing  under  His  anger.  We 
look  to  Jesus  to  regenerate  the  nations.  I^et  Nebuchad- 
nezzar relate  his  dreams.  Let  the  New  Testament  speak 
of  the  future. 

At  the  beginning  of  this  century  Gilbert  West  and 
Lord  Lyttleton  set  to  work  to  demolish  the  miracles  and 
resurre<5tion  of  Christ  and  the  account  of  Saul's  conver- 
sion. Both  wound  up  by  becoming  believers  and  acknowl- 
edging the  Messiahship  of  this  Jesus  of  Nazareth. 


Ill 

IN   NO   WISE 

He  that  cometh  unto  Me  I  will  in  no  wise  cast 
out. 

— John  vi :  37. 

^^YJESUS  was  preaching  from  a  little  boat  on  the  lake. 
I^LIJ      All  sorts  of  people  were  before.     He   invited 
^^^^      every  one  to  accept  salvation.     The  invitation 
was  extended  : 

I.   TO  THE   MURDERER 

David  was  an  example.  His  was  the  sin  of  adultery, 
murder,  presumption  ;  secret,  wilful,  deliberate,  daring, 
persistent  sin.  ' '  Have  mercy  upon  me,  O  God,  accord- 
ing to  thy  loving  kindness,"  he  prayed,  and  he  was 
' '  saved  from  all  his  troubles. ' ' 

II.    TO  THE   MEANEST    AND   THE  MOST   SORDID 

Yes,  even  if  fear  moves  them,  "  Why  will  ye  die?  " 
The  prodigal  thought  of  two  things  as  he  sat  musing 
among  the  swine  :  (i)  of  his  poverty  ;  (2)  of  his  father's 
wealth.  He  finally  sat  a  welcome  guest  at  his  father's 
table. 

III.  TO  THE  OLD  IN  IMPENITENCE   AND  HABITUAL 

SIN 

The  heart  runs  back  along  the  years,  twenty,  forty, 
sixty  years.  It  is  hard ;  ears  are  dull,  conscience  is 
seared.     But  the  promise  !    ' '  He  is  able  to  save  to  the 

14 


IN  NO    WISE  15 

Uttermost  all  them  that  come  unto  God  by  him."  To 
the  UTTERMOST?  Yes,  to  the  UTTERMOST.  Example? 
The  thief  on  the  cross. 

IV.  TO  THE  BURDENED  WITH  DOUBT 

Were  ever  such  received  ?  Many.  Doubting  Thomas. 
Thomas  cried,  "  My  Lord  and  my  God." 

V.    TO  THE   BACKSLIDER 

A  star  does  not  swing  out  of  its  orbit  because  gravita- 
tion holds  it  there.  A  sinner  converted  is  held  by  the 
power  of  God,  and  he  will  be  brought  back  from  his 
wanderings.  ' '  Return  unto  me  and  I  will  have  mercy 
upon  you."  A  man  grows  cold  hearted,  negledts  duty, 
forgets  to  pray,  and  still  God's  "Return  "  pursues  him. 
Peter's  backsliding  was  forgiven,  and  on  the  shore  of  the 
lake  his  commission  was  restored  to  him. 

It  is  not  for  man  to  limit  God's  willingness  to  save, 
since  He  says,  "The  blood  of  Jesus  Christ  cleanseth 
from  all  sin. ' ' 

But  the  invitation  ?  It  hinges  on  the  coming  of  the 
sinner  to  Christ  ;  and,  next,  on  the  sinner's  trust  in 
Jesus.     "  He  that  believeth  shall  be  saved." 

And  when  shall  the  sinner  come  ?  That  question  was 
answered  by  Charlotte  Elliot  when  she  wrote  : 

•'  Just  as  I  am — without  one  plea, 
But  that  Thy  blood  was  shed  for  me, 
And  that  Thou  bid'st  me  come  to  Thee  ; 
O  Lamb  of  God,  I  come,  I  come  " — 

Now  !     Now  ! 


IV 
ONE   THING 

This  one  thing  I  do,  forgetting  those  things  which 
are  behind,  and  reaching  forth  to  those  things 
which  are  before,  I  press  toward  the  mark  for  the 
prize  of  high  calling  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus. 

— Philippians  iii :  13,  14. 

MLT|KRE  is  the  secret  of  a  great  life.  To  know  about 
LJLJLJ  Christ  is  one  thing;  to  know  Him  experimen- 
l^ai^^  tally  is  quite  another  thing.  Paul  knew  both. 
He  had  given  up  everything  for  Christ. 

At  the  close  of  life,  what  did  he  have  to  show  for  it  ? 

He  is  back  in  Tarsus.  He  sees  the  Isthmian  games. 
The  runners  are  at  the  crimson  line.  They  have  trained 
away  every  ounce  of  superfluous  flesh.  Every  muscle  is 
tense.  Eyes  are  on  the  marble  goal.  They  eagerly 
await  the  signal.  The  trumpet  sounds  once,  twice, 
thrice,  and  off  they  go  like  the  wind  !  Their  bodies  are 
bent  forward,  their  feet  spurn  the  sanded  course,  their 
eyes  have  no  side  nor  backward  glance.     One  thing  ! 

"So  run   I."      He   forgets   the  things  behind.     He 

looks  ahead.     There  is  the  prize  which  awaits  him  at  the 

hands  of  Christ. 

Observe  : 

I.   THE  COURSE 

1.  //  is  a  straight  course. — Not  zig-zag. 

2.  //  is  the  path  of  manhood. — Not  an  imperfedl  de- 
velopment. 

3.  It  is  the  path  of  character. — Not  fitful ;  but  a  steady 
going  forward. 

16 


ONE    THING  17 

4.  //  is  the  path  of  usef illness. — Personal.  The  training 
gave  strength.  Useless  flesh  was  utilized  and  put  into 
vigor.  Health  was  the  outcome,  and  also  a  preparedness 
for  future  service. 

We  are  made  for  two  worlds.  Water-beetles  have  two 
sets  of  eyes.  One  pair  looks  downward  seeking  a  living, 
the  other  upward  to  the  blue  sky  and  the  sunlight.  So 
we  must  look  after  the  necessaries  of  life  ;  but  the  prin- 
cipal thing  is  to  look  upward  for  the  prize. 

II.   THE   MARK 

Christlikeness  is  the  goal.  Oneness  with  Him.  We 
shall  not  be  one  with  Him  by  gazing  at  the  crucifix;  but, 
rather,  starting  from  the  cross,  we  follow  Him  as  a  child 
in  its  mother's  footsteps.  He  lived  without  guide,  ac- 
cepted truth  as  the  chief  thing,  and  went  about  doing 
good.     We  win  Christ  that  way. 

This  means :  Concentration,  first,  and  Unity  of  Pur- 
pose, second. 

Paul  had  three  callings.  He  was  : 

1.  Called  to  be  a  tentmaker. — He  carried  his  needle 
about  with  him  in  all  his  journeys.     It  was  his  living. 

2.  Called  to  be  a  philosopher. — He  trained  with  the 
rabbis.  He  graduated  at  the  Jerusalem  University. 
Gamaliel  was  the  chief  professor.  He  knew  the  philos- 
ophy of  Greece  and  Rome. 

3.  Called  to  be  an  apostle. — That  was  his  main  calling. 
In  this  he  was  single-hearted  and  persistent.  The  ' '  one 
thing." 

III.   THE  PRIZE 

"The  high  calling  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus." 

The  proudest  moment  of  the  Olympic  prize-winner  was 


18  A    QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

when  he  went  up  higher  to  receive  the  laurel  wreath 
from  the  king's  hand. 

But  this  is  child's  play.  What  will  heaven  be  ?  The 
race  run,  then  comes  the  prize  at  the  hands  of  the  King 
of  Kings  ! 

There  are  two  ways  of  living.  One  on  the  low  level 
of  life  with  no  elevating  thoughts.  The  other  is  like 
climbing  the  mountain,  reaching  this  height,  then  press- 
ing on  to  a  higher,  and  yet  another  still  higher.  Higher, 
higher,  higher  !  Oh  !  the  transport,  the  sublimity  of 
heaven  ! 

Is  it  worth  while  ?    A  thousand  times,  Yes  ! 

•'  Awake,  my  soul,  stretch  every  nerve, 
And  press  with  vigor  on  ; 
A  heavenly  race  demands  thy  zeal. 
And  an  immortal  crovrn." 


EXPOSITORY     SERMONS 


ASKING   THE   WAY 


They  shall  ask  the  way  to  Zion  with  their  faces 
thitherward,  saying,  Come,  let  us  join  ourselves 
to  the  lyord  in  a  perpetual  covenant  that  shall 
not  be  forgotten. 

—Jeremiah  1 : 5, 


^T*  he;  Babylonian  captivity  of  the  Jews   was  draw- 

*■    I        ing   to   a   close.      There  were   intimations  of 

^^aql       deliverance,    and     the     question    was    asked, 

* '  Where  is  the  way  to  Zion  ? ' ' 

We,  too,   are  in   exile.     We  long  to   return  to  our 

Father's  house,  like  the  prodigal.     We  are  homesick.    A 

young  man  asked  Jesus  what  he  might  do   to  inherit 

eternal  life.     That  is  the  question  that  interests  us.     Its 

answer  is  of  the  utmost  importance.     The  right  signal  is 

life  ;  the  wrong  signal  is  death. 

Not  long  ago  a  signal-man  swung  a  white  lantern  as 
the  train  went  by.  On  it  went  till  it  plunged  down  an 
embankment.  The  cars  were  piled  one  upon  another. 
The  passengers  shrieked  and  prayed,  and  many  died. 
All  because  of  a  mistaken  signal — the  white  light  should 
have  been  red. 

The  Scriptures  are  authority.  They  point  the  way 
with  accuracy,  and  say  that  there  is  but  one  way. 

It  used  to  be  a  proverb  that  ' '  all  roads  lead  to  Rome. ' ' 
In  the  center  of  the  Forum  was  a  golden  milestone  {milli- 
arinm  aureuni),  at  which  all  thoroughfares  converged. 
Should  a  traveler  inquire  the  way  to  Rome,  the  reply 

21 


23  A    QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

would  be,  "Keep  on  and  you  will  reach  the  golden 
milestone." 

It  is  different  with  respedt  to  the  Christian  religion. 
While  there  are  many  roads  to  Rome,  there  is  but  one 
way  to  heaven.  It  is  the  King's  highway.  Enoch 
traveled  that  way  ;  so  did  Abraham,  the  prophets,  apos- 
tles, Polycarp  and  Ignatius,  and  all  the  noble  army  of 
martyrs.  There  is  blood  in  their  footprints.  Here,  too, 
passed  along  our  fathers  and  mothers,  whom  we  shall 
meet  in  the  golden  streets. 

Time  has  not  shortened  the  journey.  There  is  now  a 
railway  between  Joppa  and  Jerusalem.  When  Jonah 
fled  from  his  duty  it  was  a  two  days'  journey.  It 
required  almost  as  long  a  time  when  Solomon  in  his 
chariot  rode  to  view  the  rafts  of  cedar  which  had  been 
floated  from  the  north.  But  the  King's  highway  to 
Zion  is  just  as  it  used  to  be.  Truth  and  righteousness 
never  change.  The  flail,  the  spinning-wheel,  the  stage- 
coach have  all  gone  ;  but  some  things  remain  the  same. 
The  air  we  breathe  is  the  same  as  Adam  breathed.  The 
sunlight  is  the  same  that  sifted  through  the  mists  of 
chaos.  Water  is  the  same  as  when  Jesus  tipped  the 
water- jar  to  His  lips  at  the  well  of  Sychar.  The  Gospel 
is  like  air,  sunlight,  water — unchangeable. 

Notice  : 

I.    THE    KING'S    HIGHWAY    LEADS    THROUGH     THE 
VALLEY  OF  BOCHIM,  THE  PLACE  OF   TEARS 

Repentance  is  the  entrance  door  to  life.  The  heart 
must  be  broken  before  it  can  be  bound  up.  If  the  rent  is 
to  be  healed  the  needle  of  the  law  must  enter  before  the 
thread  of  the  Gospel.     "  Repent  ye,  repent  ye." 

Behind  repentance  lies  the  tremendous  fad;  of  sin.    Sin 


ASKING    THE    WAY  ^% 

is  as  dreadful  as  when  David  cried,  "  God  be  merciful  to 
me  a  sinner."     Sin  "  bringeth  forth  death." 

True  repentance  is  a  frank  acknowledgment  of  sin  and 
the  quitting  it  forever.  It  is  a  manly  thing  to  repent, 
as  it  is  manly  to  acknowledge  a  fault  against  a  fellow 
man. 

II.    THE    KING'S    HIGHWAY  RUNS  OVER     THE   HILL 
OF  ATONEMENT 

The  Law  speaks  on  Calvary.  It  says  to  the  sinner : 
"The  soul  that  sinneth,  it  shall  die."  Christ  spoke  of 
death  under  the  figure  of  fire  and  the  undying  worm.  On 
the  cross  He  expiated  guilt.  He  took  our  place.  The 
parties  to  the  covenant  of  grace  are  the  Father,  the  Son, 
and  the  sinner.  If  all  consent,  then  the  sinner  is  free 
from  the  penalt)''  of  the  law.  The  covenant  holds  and 
the  sinner  lives. 

* '  There  is  therefore  now  no  condemnation  to  them 
which  are  in  Christ  Jesus,  who  walk  not  after  the  flesh,  but 
after  the  Spirit." 

m.    THE    KING'S    HIGHWAY    RUNS    THROUGH    THE 
OPEN  COUNTRY  TO  HEAVEN'S  GATE 

No  skulking  here  !  ' '  With  the  heart  man  believeth 
unto  righteousness,  and  with  the  lips  confession  is  made 
unto  salvation."  The  rehgion  of  Christ  is  not  a  secret 
principal,  as  some  suppose,  hiding  behind  the  lattice,  a 
shy  and  modest  thing.  "Ye  are  the  light  of  the  world. 
A  city  that  is  set  on  an  hill  cannot  be  hid. "  "  Let  your 
light  so  shine  before  men,  that  they  may  see  your  good 
works,  and  glorify  your  Father  which  is  in  heaven." 

This,  then,  is  the  heavenward  way,  through  the  Valley 
of  Bochim,  across  the  Hill  of  the  Atonement,  and  along 


24  A   QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

the  Open  to  the  Kingdom  of  God.  These  are  the  pre- 
requisites of  life  :  Repent,  BeHeve,  Be  Baptised  (that  is, 
give  an  outward  token  of  an  inward  faith). 

In  Btmyan's  dream,  Christian  and  Hopeful,  having 
passed  beyond  the  enchanted  ground  and  the  valley  of 
shadows,  came  to  the  land  of  singing  birds  and  blooming 
flowers.  In  the  far  distance  the  heavenly  city  glowed  in 
the  sun,  and  at  length  the  pilgrims  came  to  the  King's 
gardens,  where  they  ate  of  the  grapes  and  pomegranates 
and  passed  on.  Then  came  out  to  meet  them,  from  the 
innumerable  company  of  angels  and  just  men  made  per- 
fect, shining  ones,  who  said,  "  Blessed  are  they  which  are 
called  to  the  marriage  supper  of  the  L,amb."  On  they 
went  with  singing  and  trumpets,  nearer  and  nearer  to  the 
Heavenly  City.  Above  its  gates  they  read,  "  Blessed  are 
they  that  do  his  commandments,  that  they  may  have  right 
to  enter  in."  Then  the  gates  opened  and  voices  said, 
"  Enter  into  the  joy  of  your  Lord. "  As  they  passed  in 
they  were  tranfigured.  There  was  the  ineffable  glory 
and  a  great  company  walking  to  and  fro,  singing  as  they 
went.     Then  the  gates  were  shut, 

O  friends,  shall  we  not  be  among  them?  Shall  we 
not  have  a  part  in  the  triumphant  chorus  and  be  forever 
with  the  Lord  ? 


VI 

THE   TWICE-TAUGHT    LESSON 


For  they  considered  not  the  miracle  of  the  loaves. 
—Mark  vi  :52. 


*nr^  HE   feeding  of   five  thousand  people  was  one  of 

*■    I        the  quieter  miracles.     It  was  the  hiding  of  the 

^^bbII       power  of  Christ.     A  lad  with  a  basket  and  a 

dozen  men  passed  along  and  the  multitude  was 

satisfied.     Don't  ask  how  it  was  done.     That  is  a  secret. 

Only  this  we  know,  that  Christ  did  it. 

God  is  always  hiding  himself.  A  farmer  goes  out  with 
wheat  and  scatters  it  on  the  prepared  ground.  A  little 
later  the  reaper  gathers  in  the  yellow  harvest.  Beautiful 
providence  !     Mysterious  concealment  of  Divine  power  ! 

After  the  miracle,  Jesus  told  His  disciples  to  get  into 
the  little  boat  and  go  over  to  the  other  side.  Night  came 
on  and  with  it  a  terrific  storm.  In  their  anxiety  and 
fear  they  forget  the  miracle,  and  another  miracle  must 
be  performed  before  they  could  rightly  learn  the  lesson 
of  providence. 

Just  at  the  proper  time  Jesus  appeared  to  help. 
Through  the  darkness  they  saw  the  dim  figure  approach- 
ing. They  were  the  sort  of  men  who  nail  a  horseshoe  to 
the  mast.  Sailors  are  always  superstitious.  They 
trembled  with  fear  until  on  nearer  approach  Jesus  reas- 
sured them.  "It  is  I;  be  not  afraid."  Stepping  into 
the  boat,  wind  and  wave  obeyed  His  will.     There  was  as 

26 


26  A   QUIVER  OF  ARROWS 

great  a  calm  as  on  another  occasion,  standing  on  the 
prow  of  the  tossing  craft,  He  said,  "  Peace  ;  be  still." 
There  are  three  scenes  in  this  drama  : 

I.   THE   STORM 

Jesus  had  gone  into  the  mountain  for  the  night.  When 
the  storm  burst  upon  the  disciples  how  terrible  was  His 
absence  !  "If  our  I^ord  were  only  here  !  "  "  He  was 
once,  and  well  do  we  remember  how  He  saved  us."  In 
their  distress  they  had  forgotten  the  miracle  of  a  few 
hours  ago. 

Life  is  sad  and  sorrowful  without  Jesus.  Darkness 
and  danger  come  to  teach  us  lessons  of  trust. 

III.   THE   RESCUE 

1.  Jesus  saw. — Wonderful  eyes!  They  not  only 
pierced  through  darkness  and  blinding  storm,  but  through 
all  space.  They  penetrate  through  all  roofs;  they  see  all 
pain,  plotting,  shame,  headache — all. 

We  are  never  out  of  His  sight.  He  watches  us  in  our 
troubles.  It  is  in  just  such  a  time  that  we  need  to 
believe. 

"So  I  go  on,  not  knowing  ; 

I  would  not  if  I  might. 
I'd  rather  walk  with  God  in  the  dark 

Than  go  alone  in  the  night  ; 
I'd  rather  walk  by  faith  with  Him 

Than  go  alone  by  sight." 

2.  Jesus  came. — At  the  helpless  and  hopeless  hour. 
The  hieroglyph  of  the  ancient  Egyptians  to  denote 
impossibility  was  two  feet  on  the  water.  But  what  is 
impossible  to  man  is  easy  for  God.  Let  Xerxes  move 
back  his  throne,  lashing  the  tides  in  vain  fury.     God 


THE   TWICE-TAUGHT  LESSON 


27 


made  the  boundaries  of  the  sea — "Thus  far  shaltthou 
come  and  no  further." 

The  disciples,  fearing,  said,  "It's  a  spirit."  Fear 
betrays  a  wrong  adjustment  of  moral  nature,  God  comes 
to  us  in  strange  guises  of  providence.  Unlooked-for 
events  occur.  Sometimes  they  make  distress  more  dis- 
tressing. We  do  not  understand.  Jesus  delays  and  we 
do  not  know  why,  any  more  than  did  Mary  and  Martha 
till  their  brother  returned  to  life.  But  He  does  come 
when  it  is  best  for  us  that  He  should.  The  things  we 
least  want  is  often  the  very  thing  and  the  only  thing 
adapted  to  our  case.  The  pain  we  suffer  and  the  sorrow 
that  bears  us  down  would  be  endured  with  greater  patience 
if  we  could  but  make  up  our  mind  that  this  is  the  very 
form  in  which  Jesus  comes  to  us  for  our  deliverance. 
Oh,  for  more  faith!  We  forget  that  He  came  to  us  before, 
just  as  the  disciples  forgot  the  miracle  of  the  loaves  and 

fishes — 

"  God  moves  in  a  mysterious  way 
His  wonders  to  perform; 
He  plants  His  footsteps  in  the  sea, 
And  rides  upon  the  storm." 


III.    THE    SWIFT    VOYAGE 

We  marvel  at  the  swiftness  of  our  steamers  crossing 
the  Atlantic.  But  swifter  still  went  that  little  vessel  to 
its  landing-place  when  Jesus  got  on  board. 

I.  Mark  the  struggle. — The  disciples  did  all  that  expe- 
rienced seamen  could  have  done  to  meet  that  storm.  Sails 
were  reefed,  oars  were  plied,  helm  kept  her  nose  to  the 
wind. 

Life  is  a  struggle  at  the  best.  It  must  be  met  by  all 
the  skill  and  energy  we  can  muster.  But  even  then  we 
shall  fail  without  Jesus. 


28  A   QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

2.  Mark  the  stress. — The  disciples  despaired.  Escape 
was  impossible  without  Divine  help.  But  God  loves  to 
deliver  at  such  a  time. 

A  band  of  Covenanters  in  old  Scotland,  men,  women, 
and  children,  fled  for  life.  As  they  climbed  the  hills  they 
saw  just  across  the  ravine  the  bloody  Claverhouse  and 
his  men.  The  old  minister  knelt  in  prayer,  and  said, 
"  O  God,  this  is  the  hour  of  Thine  opportunity.  We 
are  helpless.  These  weary  bairns  can  flee  no  more. 
Twine  our  enemies  round  these  hills.  Confuse  them  and 
deliver  us  !  Cast  Thy  garment  over  puir  auld  Saunders 
and  these  frail  bairns."  And  the  thing  was  done  that 
men  laugh  at:  a  special  providence.  A  mist  rose  which 
stood  between  the  cruel  Claverhouse  and  that  little  band, 
so  that  it  could  escape. 

3.  Mark  the  agony. — Nine  weary  hours  they  toiled  at 
the  oars.  Their  strength  was  exhausted ;  hands  blis- 
tered ;  hope  gone.     Then  He  came. 

It  is  ever  so.  When  we  have  done  our  utmost  God 
must  save.  "  This  is  the  work  of  God,  that  3^e  believe 
on  Him  whom  God  hath  sent." 

Blessed  is  the  man  who  accepts  the  salvation  God  offers 
without  money  and  without  price.  And  thrice  blessed 
when  the  last  hour  comes  and  he  enters  Charon's  boat 
and  finds  that  the  boatman  is  not  Charon,  but  Christ. 

There  is  an  inscription  in  the  Tower  of  London  cut  by 
some  prisoner  on  the  wall,  who  may  have  spent  his  life 
in  darkness  and  suffered  death  centuries  ago  on  Tower 
Hill  :  "A  passage  perilous  maketh  a  port  pleasant. ' ' 
There  will  be  no  storm  in  heaven,  and  no  need  to  learn 
the  lessons  of  providence.  All  will  be  clear.  Let  us 
apprehend  this  truth  now,  for  it  is  now  that  we  require 
it.     "Believe  in  God." 


VII 
LOSING   ONE'S   LIFE 


For  whosoever  will  save  his  life  shall  lose  it: 

and  whosoever  will  lose  his  life  for  my  sake 

shall  find  it. 

—Matthew  xvi :  25. 


THAT  sounds  like  a  paradox.     How  can  a  man  save 
,        his  life  and  at  the  same  time  lose  it  ?     Or  lose 
^^^1      it  and  at  the  same  time  find  it  ? 

Jesus  had  reference  to  two  kinds  of  life,  the 
earthly  and  the  heavenly  ;  in  other  words,  the  carnal  and 
the  spiritual. 

If  you  live  for  the  earthly  life  only,  you  will  lose  the 
heavenly  ;  but  if  you  live  for  the  heavenly,  you  will  lose 
that  sort  of  life  consisting  of  self- gratification,  which  is 
shared  by  your  dog  that  frolics  here  and  there  until  weary 
and  then  counts  it  the  consummation  of  happiness  to  lie 
down  in  the  shadow  and  gnaw  a  bone. 

Jesus  experienced  the  higher  life.  He  knew  also  the 
lower  life.  He  mingled  with  men  who  were  dead  in  tres- 
passes and  in  sin.  They  were  dead  people  who  jostled 
Him  in  the  streets  and  saluted  Him  in  the  thoroughfares. 
Their  life  was  low  and  sensual.  To  breathe,  eat,  sleep, 
and  make  merry  was  the  substance  of  it. 

Our  Lord's  mission  was  to  give  life  and  more  of  it. 
Observe : 

I.  WHAT  IT   IS  TO   SAVE   ONE'S   LIFE 
Multitudes  did  it  in  the  time  of  Christ.     I  once  stood 
on   Mount  Tom  when  everything  below  seemed  insig- 
nificantly small.     Farmers,  swinging  their  scythes,  looked 
like  pygmies  ;  horses  were  no  larger  than  ants  ;  sounds  of 

29 


30  A   QUIVER  OF  ARROWS 

laughter  in  passing  carriages  were  far  away.  So  from 
His  high  outlook  Jesus  saw  multitudes  living  within  the 
narrow  horizons  of  the  senses,  toiling  for  gold,  chasing 
thistle-down,  and  what  not.  Some  were  striving  for 
wealth,  some  intent  on  pleasure,  some  pursuing  honor — 
a  wretched  life  at  best,  in  view  of  the  higher  and  nobler 
life. 

There  are  people  who  go  about  our  streets  and  alleys 
gathering  rags,  scraps  of  paper,  and  broken  bits  of  glass. 
It's  a  poor  living,  we  say.  Alas,  those  who  live  upon  the 
lower  levels  are  ragpickers  all !  Are  the  flotsam  and  the 
jetsam  worth  the  saving  ? 

II.   WHAT  IT  IS  TO   LOSE   ONE'S   LIFE 

Jesus  knew.  He  cast  away  His  life  to  save  our  lives. 
A  grain  of  wheat  must  die  to  bring  about  life,  the  more 
abundant  life,  as  we  see  it  in  the  harvest-field.  The 
great  principle  of  life  proceeds  out  of  death.  Jesus  insists 
upon  self-denial  and  cross-bearing.  This  is  the  first  step 
toward  the  higher  life. 

The  Chinese  tell  of  an  old-time  potter  who  vainly 
sought  to  put  a  certain  tint  upon  his  vases,  until  at  last  in 
desperation  he  cast  himself  into  the  furnace  ;  then  when 
the  kiln  of  pottery  was  taken  out,  lo!  the  exquisite  color 
was  upon  it !  So  all  must  be  surrendered  to  secure  the 
beauty  of  holiness. 

Christ  could  not  come  down  from  the  cross.  A  moral 
necessity  was  upon  Him.  Had  He  done  so  He  could  not 
have  saved  us.  Painful  service  saves.  We  rescue  others 
just  as  we  enter  into  fellowship  with  Christ's  death.  "  I 
am  crucified  with  Christ ;  nevertheless,  I  live  ;  yet  not  I, 
but  Christ  liveth  in  me. ' ' 

To  follow  Christ  is  to  step  in  bloody  footprints  that 


LOSING   ONE'S  LIFE  31 

oftentimes  lead  to  the  haunts  of  sin  and  shame,  but 
eventually  into  the  spiritual  and  eternal  life. 

Christ  must  dominate  our  life  and  rule  all  our  tasks 
and  pleasures. 

When  Themistocles  was  asked  why  he  did  not  gather 
the  golden  chains  and  other  spoils  the  enemy  had  thrown 
away  in  their  flight,  he  answered,  "Thou  niayest,  for 
thou  art  not  Themistocles. ' '  A  man  is  on  the  right  track 
when  he  surrenders  the  lower  for  the  higher. 

III.   WHAT  IT  IS  TO  FIND  ONE'S  LIFE 

This  is  life  eternal.  Life  eternal  is  big  with  meaning. 
I  wish  I  knew  it  better  and  were  able  to  explain  it  more 
clearly.  ' '  The  life  is  more  than  meat, ' '  says  Christ.  We 
can  not  grasp  the  full  meaning  of  it. 

It  begins  now,  however.  Pardon  through  Jesus  Christ, 
san(5lification  through  the  Holy  Spirit,  a  good  conscience, 
and  a  hope  of  glory  are  among  its  beginnings.  By  this 
we  get  above  the  fret  and  the  worry  and  the  sordid  cares 
of  our  earthly  life. 

Then  the  beyond  !     The  blessed  beyond  ! 

Ary  Scheffer  painted  ' '  The  Temptation  in  the  Wilder- 
ness." Christ  stands  on  the  spur  of  the  mountain.  Be- 
low Him  is  the  Tempter,  offering  all  the  kingdoms  of  the 
world  for  a  single  adl  of  homage.  The  calm  face  of 
Jesus  is  marked  by  the  assurance  of  Divine  authority. 
With  a  simple  wave  of  the  hand  He  dismisses  the  allur- 
ing thought.  He  waves  the  world  aside  and  wins  it. 
Thus  may  we  attain  to  the  highest  by  putting  away  the 
lowest.  Life  is  ours  by  bidding  our  lower  natures  die  the 
death.  "  What  shall  it  profit  a  man,  if  he  gain  the  whole 
world,  and  lose  his  own  soul  ?  "  Or  what  shall  a  man 
give  in  exchange  for  his  life  ? 


VIII 
THE   JERICHO   ROAD 

Then  Jesus  said  unto  him,  Go  and  do  thou  like- 
wise. 

— I,UKEx:37. 

LAWYER  asked  Jesus  this  question,  "  Wliat  shall 
I  do  to  inherit  eternal  life  ?  ' ' 
Two  answers  were  possible  : 
I.  Keep  the  Law, — Obedience  to  that  is  life. 
Disobedience  is  death. 

2.  Accept  the  Gospel. — This  is  the  good  news  that  Jesus 
Christ,  the  Son  of  God,  is  the  Savior  of  the  world.  "  He 
that  believeth  shall  be  saved." 

In  answering  the  lawyer's  question,  Jesus  directed  him 
to  the  passage  written  on  his  frontlet  and  the  phylactery. 
' '  What  readest  thou  ?  ' '  On  these  leathern  bands  were 
inscribed  the  compendium  of  the  law,  ' '  Thou  shalt  love 
the  Lord  thy  God  with  all  thy  heart  and  mind  and  soul 
and  strength  ;  and  thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbor  as  thy- 
self."    Jesus  added  :   "  This  do  and  thou  shalt  live." 

The  lawyer  was  baffled  and  confused.  Said  he,  "  And 
who  is  my  neighbor  ? ' '  Then  Christ  told  the  story  of 
the  waylaid  traveler. 

It  is  probable  that  this  story  was  not  a  parable,  but  an 
a(5tual  occurrence.  Had  there  been  a  daily  newspaper  in 
Jerusalem  the  incident  would  have  been  announced  in 
great  head-lines : 

VIOLENCE   ON   THE  JERICHO   ROAD 
A   Traveler  Waylaid  and  Robbed — Beaten  and  Left  for  Dead 

The  road  from  Jericho   to  Jerusalem,   a  distance  of 
twenty  miles,  is  still  called  "The   Bloody  Way."     It 
82 


THE  JERICHO  ROAD 


33 


I 


runs  down  an  ancient  river-bed.  The  surrounding 
country  is  likened  to  an  ocean  congealed  in  some  mighty 
tempest.  On  every  side  there  are  caves,  ravines,  inacces- 
sible cliffs,  lurking-places  for  banditti.  Modern  travelers 
hire  an  escort  for  protedlion.  The  man  Jesus  mentioned 
foolishly  set  out  alone.  The  thing  he  might  have  ex- 
pected took  place. 

The  Jericho  road  is  not  far  away.  Sin  is  the  robber 
chief,  the  Ali-Baba,  leading  on  a  furious  band  of  pas- 
sions and  unholy  ambitions — highwaymen  all.  I^ife  runs 
through  their  country.  There  is  a  cutpurse  in  every 
fastness.  Oh  !  how  many  are  wounded  and  robbed, 
despoiled  of  manhood,  of  self-respedl  and  a  good  con- 
science, maimed  by  their  unholy  passions,  shot  through 
the  head  by  rationalism,  or  through  the  heart  by  convivial 
vices  !  We  have  all  heard  the  arrows  whizzing  past,  been 
struck  by  the  stones  hurtling  down  upon  us  from  the 
overhanging  cliffs. 

What  shall  Christians  do  ? 

I.   IMPROVE   THE  BLOODY  WAY 

Begin  in  our  own  city.  Our  metropolis  is  not  as  safe 
as  Jerusalem  was.  The  politicians  there  could  not  well 
be  as  corrupt  as  ours.  If  the  Statue  of  Liberty  could  be 
animated  and  descend  from  her  pedestal,  land  at  the 
Battery,  and  walk  through  our  streets,  we  should  prob- 
ably see  her  next  morning  facing  the  city  with  menacing 
finger.  She  would  look  dire(5tly  into  Wall  Street  with 
an  eye  of  fire,  at  the  City  Hall  with  aroused  indignation, 
at  the  red  lights  with  horror,  as  the  opening  gateways  to 
Gehenna.  She  would  stop  her  ears  at  the  sound  of  rat- 
tling dice,  the  loud  oaths,  and  the  lewd  conversation  of 
"The  Tenderloin."     She  would  withdraw  her  garments 


34  A   QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

from  the  woman  ' '  whose  feet  take  hold  on  hell. ' '  She 
would  call  the  attention  of  the  police  to  these  lawless  sights 
and  sounds,  and  ask  if  it  was  not  their  business  to  vin- 
dicate the  law.  The  tokens  of  vice  in  splendid  mansions 
would  add  to  her  dismay.  At  the  corner  of  Fifth  Avenue 
and  Fiftieth  Street  her  eyes  would  flame  at  sight  of  a 
monument  of  the  most  brazen  and  colossal  robbery  ever 
known  in  municipal  affairs.  Familiarizing  herself  with 
New  York  by  night,  it  would  be  an  open  question  whether 
she  would  return  to  her  pedestal  at  all ;  and  if  she  did,  it 
would  be  with  inverted  torch  or  under  an  extinguisher, 
feeling  that  that  was  hardly  the  center  from  which  to 
enlighten  the  world. 

II.  THE  BURDEN  OF  BETTERMENT  IS  ON 
THE  CHURCH 

Her  ministers  must  lead  the  way.  It  should  gladden 
the  hearts  of  all  good  citizens  that  the  pulpit  had  recently 
thundered  forth  its  denunciations  against  municipal  cor- 
ruption. Nor  has  it  stopped  there.  She  heard  and 
heeded  the  injundlion — "  Cry  aloud,  spare  not,  and  show 
the  people  their  sin. ' ' 

But  if  the  ministers  are  left  alone  in  this  work  failure 
lies  that  way.  Every  lover  of  truth  and  righteousness 
must  help.  The  city,  ay,  the  nation,  would  be  speed- 
ily reformed  if  every  man  would  reform  himself.  There 
are  enough  Christians  in  New  York  to  put  an  end  to 
every  organized  form  of  wickedness.  "  All  at  it,  always 
at  it,  altogether  at  it,"  said  Wesley. 

After  all  that  good  people  and  ministers  combined  can 
do,  there  will  still  be  the  wounded  and  dying  who  will 
need  to  be  cared  for  at  the  inn.  They  were  once  inno- 
cent children  in  their  mothers'  arms,  boys  and  girls  play- 


THE  JERICHO  ROAD  35 

ing  among  the  hollyhocks  and  sweet-williams  in  the 
gardens  of  the  old  country  homes.  Who  will  be  neigh- 
bor to  them — the  tramps,  the  gamins,  the  outcasts,  the 
drunkards,  the  criminals,  all  immortal  souls  made  in  God's 
image,  soiled,  dragged  in  the  mire,  despoiled  of  their  Di- 
vine inheritance  ?     Who  will  lift  them  up  ? 

III.  THE  CHURCH  MUST  SEE  AND  ACT 

No  eye  is  perfe(5l.  Some  eyes  are  dim  ;  others  are 
near-sighted.     Some  see  double. 

No  one  can  clearly  discern  just  what  is  to  be  done  for 
the  betterment  of  man  except  he  sees  through  God's  eyes. 
This  can  be  done  through  the  telescope  of  Faith.  "  All 
things  are  possible  to  them  that  believe."  "  I  can  do  all 
things  through  Christ  which  strengtheneth  me. ' ' 

When  we  do  see  we  must  a6l.  The  priest  saw  the 
bleeding  form  of  the  man  on  Jericho  road.  He  was  a 
do<5trinaire.  His  creed  stood  in  his  way.  Nothing  in 
the  way  of  cold  philosophy  can  help  the  suffering.  So 
the  priest  passed  by. 

The  Levite  passed  by  also.  His  business  was  to  look 
after  the  pomp  and  circumstance  of  worship — a  cere- 
monialist.  The  church  spire  is  not  to  be  exalted  above 
the  cross.  The  inward  is  not  to  be  sacrificed  to  the  out- 
ward. 

The  good  Samaritan  saw  the  suffering  man  and  at  once 
adled  from  the  generous  impulse  of  a  good  heart.  You 
see  him  dismounting,  then  kneeling  beside  the  vidlim, 
quickly  applying  remedies  to  the  wounds,  speaking  com- 
forting words,  and  lifting  him  to  his  own  beast,  and 
placing  him  in  an  inn,  all  at  his  own  expense.  Our 
Lord  commended  the  Samaritan. 

On  the  shield  of  the  Humane  Society  of  London  a 


36  A    QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

little  girl  is  represented  as  tr^-ing  to  re\'ive  a  dj'ing  fire 
by  breathing  upon  it,  and  above  are  the  words  '' Forsita7i 
Sciyitilla  "  (Perhaps  a  Spark).  Watch  for  the  tokens  of 
life.     The  spark  there  vaz.y  yet  kindle. 

A  woman  took  her  place  beside  a  prison  door,  resolved 
to  help  the  first  who  should  issue  forth.  A  poor 
shamefaced  woman  came  out.  At  once  the  hand  touched 
the  shoulder,  e3-e  met  e5-e,  and  without  a  word  the 
watcher  kissed  the  poor  faded  cheek.  * '  M}'  God  ! ' '  said 
the  liberated  prisoner,  "don't  do  that,  don't  do  that! 
Nobod)''s  done  that  since  mother  died!"  The  spark 
was  quickened. 

The  Master  said,  "  Come.^^  He  also  said,  ^^  Arise ^ 
Also,  ' '  Follow  vie. ' ' 

Help  those  whom  sin  has  waylaid  in  the  Bloody  Way, 
robbed,  and  left  for  dead  ! 

Let  us  be  neighbor  to  everj^  one,  as  Christ  was. 
Ani€7i. 


IX 

THE   SILENT    ARCHITECT 

And  the  house  was  built  of  stone  made  ready 
before  it  was  brought  thither:  so  that  there  was 
neither  hammer  nor  axe  nor  any  tool  of  iron 
heard  in  the  house,  while  it  was  in  building. 

—I.  Kings  vi:  7. 

T  WAS  quite  natural  for  the  Israelites,  after  reach- 
ing the  promised  land,  to  build  a  temple  in 
honor  of  God,  who  had  brought  them  into  it. 
Before  they   could   accomplish   the  cherished 
projedt,  however,  there  was  much  preliminary  work  to 
be  done,  many  difficulties  to  be  overcome,  and  not  a  little 
planning  and  unifying  of  public  sentiment. 

A  protradled  period  necessarily  elapsed.  But  there 
was  a  gradual  working  up  to  the  starting-point. 

David  was  anxious  to  make  the  beginning.  The  one 
insuperable  obstacle  was  in  his  way,  that  of  the  fiat  of 
God.  Being  a  man  of  blood,  it  was  not  for  him  to  com- 
mence such  a  holy  undertaking.  It  was  left  for  his  wise 
son  Solomon,  in  more  peaceful  times,  to  do  it  and  to 
carry  it  to  its  ultimate  completion.  "  In  the  fourth  year 
of  his  reign  were  the  foundations  of  the  house  laid  and 
in  the  eleventh  year  was  the  house  finished  throughout 
in  all  parts  thereof.  So  he  was  seven  years  in  build- 
ing it." 

This  was  five  hundred  years  after  the  exodus.  Never 
were  grander  preparations,  never  a  more  magnificent 
temple — simple,  beautiful,  from  massive  foundation- 
stones  to  fine-twined  curtains.    The  basilica  of  St.  Peter's 

37 


38  ^    QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

bears  the  impress  of  Michael  Angelo's  mind  ;  St.  Paul's 
at  London  that  of  Sir  Christopher  Wren  ;  but  the 
temple  on  Zion  was  proje(5ted  and  reared  by  the  Archi- 
tecft  of  the  Universe  ;  and  in  wondrous  beauty  it  was  not 
unworthy  of  Him. 

Silently,  majestically,  its  walls  rose  toward  heaven 
without  the  sound  of  hammer  or  ax,  for  its  stones  had 
been  chiseled  in  the  quarry,  and  its  beams  had  been 
fitted  to  their  places  amid  the  forests  of  Lebanon,  There 
was  no  busy  hum  or  clamor,  no  voice  of  the  mason  calling 
to  the  carpenter,  no  echo  of  implements  among  the  rising 
timbers,  no  running  to  and  fro.  It  was  like  a  grand 
Sabbath  service. 

"  No  workman's  steel,  no  pond'rous  axes  swung  ; 
Like  some  tall  pine  the  noiseless  fabric  sprung." 

And  this  is  God's  method  everywhere  : 

I.  IN  NATURE 

It  was  so  in  the  six  great  creative  adls  in  the  building 
of  our  world.  God  said,  "  Let  there  be  light,"  and  it 
was  so.  He  said,  "  Let  there  be  dry  land,"  and  it  was 
so.  There  is  no  intimation  of  noisy  sounds.  Even  now 
the  mighty  changes  of  matter  through  frost  and  snow 
and  rain  and  air  are  carried  on  silently.  The  granite 
mountains  of  yesterday  are  smaller  than  they  were  a 
month  ago.  They  are  smaller  to-day  than  they  were 
yesterday  and  they  will  be  smaller  still  to-morrow.  The 
glacier  that  moves  so  slowly  as  to  seem  imperceptible, 
the  mighty  planets  in  their  orbits  whirling  through  space, 
are  both  unheard  because  no  sound  attends  them.  Cen- 
turies pass  by,  and  then  from  the  bottom  of  the  sea  there 
emerges  the  outline  of  the  coral  reef. 


THE  SILENT  ARCHITECT  39 

In  the  processes  of  Nature  there  are  three  fadlors: 

1.  Fo?-ce. — Force  defies  definition — say  it  is  whatever 
sets  matter  in  motion.  But  the  word  "whatever"  sug- 
gests the  problem.  An  apple  falls.  We  say  it  falls  bj'^  the 
force  of  gravitation.  But  what  is  that  ?  A  tree  is  shat- 
tered by  eledtricity.  But  what  is  eledlrical  force  ?  A 
mushroom  grows  up  in  the  night ;  the  power  within  is  vital 
power.  But  what  is  vital  power  ?  The  fadt  is  obvious,  but 
who  can  explain  ? 

2.  Law. — Force  works  through  law.  Law,  we  say,  is 
suspended  ;  then  there  is  a  miracle.  But  a  miracle  is 
simply  force  working  through  law  without  the  interven- 
tion of  second  causes.  The  miracle  of  Cana  was  as  silent 
as  the  distillations  of  the  vineyard.  When  Joseph  fed 
the  multitudes  from  the  storehouses  in  Egypt  he  was 
hailed  by  a  name  which  meant  the  savior  of  the  world. 
But  when  God  goes  forth  to  feed  the  living  existences  in 
the  world  there  is  profound  silence  throughout  all  the 
processes  until  grace  is  said — ' '  For  what  we  are  about  to 
receive  the  Lord  make  us  truly  thankful," 

3.  Mind. — Here  we  touch  the  argument  of  design. 
The  forces  that  operate  through  law  are  superintended 
by  the  Infinite  Intelledl,  and  is  attested  by  the  adjust- 
ment of  all  things  to  their  uses :  the  eye  to  see,  the 
throat  to  sing,  the  wing  to  fly.  If  I  place  an  .^olian 
harp  in  my  window  I  can  tell  from  the  result  whether  or 
no  an  intelledl  controls  it.  If  it  produces  a  mingling  of 
sounds  without  a  theme,  I  know  that  the  wind  blows. 
But  if  it  produces  melody,  I  know  at  once  that  a  human 
hand  has  touched  it.  So  I  look  abroad  in  nature  and  see 
proof  of  a  superintending  Intelle(5t. 

God  impresses  Himself  in  silence.  The  seasons  follow 
each  other  without  a  sound.     So  with  the  opening  of  a 


40  A    QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

rosebud,  the  falling  of  a  snowflake,  the  revolving  of  the 
stars.  The  train  rattles  along  at  the  rate  of  sixty  miles 
an  hour  and  j^ou  are  wearied  with  the  constant  noise ; 
but  our  world  speeds  through  space  at  sixty  thousand 
miles  an  hour,  and  in  the  midst  of  the  tremendous  whirl 
you  can  hear  the  infant's  wail,  the  flutter  of  the  bird's 
wing,  the  beating  of  one's  own  heart. 

II.   IN   HISTORY 

We  speak  of  Providence.  That  is  force  working 
through  law  under  the  supervision  of  Infinite  Mind.  The 
profoundest  episodes  in  the  life  of  men  and  nations  are 
without  scenic  effedt. 

We  are  accustomed  to  speak  of  epochs  of  history.  In 
reality  there  there  are  none  such.     There  are  : 

1.  Victories  of  Force. — These  are  marked  by  uproar 
and  confusion  and  garments  rolled  in  blood.  The  land- 
ing of  Caesar  in  Great  Britain.  The  marching  forth  of 
the  Crusaders  under  Richard  Coeur  de  lyion.  The  battles 
of  Drake  on  the  high  seas.  The  charge  of  the  I,ight 
Brigade  at  Balaklava. 

2.  Victories  of  Peace. — These  are  more  potent  than  vic- 
tories of  force.  Note,  for  instance,  the  landing  of  St. 
Augustine,  the  quiet  demand  of  Stephen  Langdon  at 
Runnymede,  the  coming  of  a  few  Pilgrims  to  this  conti- 
nent in  search  of  freedom,  and,  most  of  all,  the  advent 
of  the  Prince  of  Peace  celebrated  by  a  mother's  cradle  song 
and  the  angel's  anthem,  ' '  Glory  to  God  in  the  highest,  and 
on  earth  peace,  good  will  toward  men. ' '  This  Prince  wields 
no  sword  but  the  sword  of  the  Spirit.  "  The  Kingdom 
of  God  Cometh  not  with  observation."  That  is,  not  with 
pomp  and  show  and  noise,  like  the  coming  of  earthly 
kingdoms.     It   comes  as   the   growing  of  the  mustard 


THE  SILENT  ARCHITECT  41 

seed,  germinating  in  silence  and  becoming  large  enough 
for  birds  to  lodge  in  the  branches. 

III.   IN   THE   SOUL   OF  MAN 

Here  we  are  in  the  province  of  grace.  Grace  is  an 
inscrutable  force,  working  through  law  mysterious, 
under  the  superintendence  of  a  Mind  Infinite. 

The  beginning  of  a  Christian  life  is  like  crossing  the 
tropics.  You  can  not  mark  the  instant.  The  process  is 
like  the  drawing  of  the  magnet.  All  the  subsequent  life 
of  a  Christian  is  under  the  same  gentle  influence.  The 
symbol  of  the  Spirit  is  a  brooding  dove.  Our  gracious 
God  would  build  up  our  souls  into  temples  fit  for  His 
indwelling,  but  He  would  build  without  the  sound  of 
hammer  or  of  ax. 

He  comes  to  us  to-day  not  with  sound  of  trumpet  at  our 
gates.  He  stands  at  our  door  patiently  waiting  for  us  to 
let  Him  in.  The  fears,  relentings,  and  hopes  of  our 
hearts  are  all  stirred  and  kindled  by  the  Divine  Spirit. 

Grieve  Him,  and  it  may  be  the  saddest  day  of  our  lives. 
Bid  Him  welcome  to  the  chief  seat  on  the  throne  of  our 
afi'edtions,  and  we  may  be  thrilled  and  quickened  as  by  a 
breath  from  the  flaming  lips  of  God. 

Let  the  main  thought  of  the  text  then  be  pressed 
home : 

(i)  That  God  would  build  in  quietness  ;  and 

(2)  That  He  would  build  in  cooperation  with  our 
wills. 


X 

HOBAB   OF   AKABA 


And  Moses  said  unto  Hobab,  .  .  .  Moses' 
father-in-law,  We  are  journeying  unto  the  place 
of  which  the  I,ord  said,  I  will  give  it  you:  come 
thou  with  us,  and  we  will  do  thee  good  :  for  the 
I<ord  hath  spoken  good  concerning  Israel.  And 
he  said  unto  him,  I  will  not  go;  but  I  will  depart 
to  mine  own  land,  and  to  my  kindred.  And  he 
said,  I,eave  us  not,  I  pray  thee ;  forasmuch  as  thou 
knowest  how  we  are  to  encamp  in  the  wilder- 
ness, and  thou  mayest  be  to  us  instead  of  eyes. 
And  it  shall  be,  if  thou  go  with  us,  yea,  it  shall 
be,  that  what  goodness  the  I,ord  shall  do  unto  us, 
the  same  will  we  do  unto  thee. 

— Numbers  x  :  29-32. 


mj[  ACAUiyAY  says  in  the  time  of  Charles  II.  there  was 
^^*i  one  institution  that  the  people  prized  more 
^^^J       than  the  Monarchy,  and  that  was  the  Church. 

It  should  be  so  now. 

An  Arab  sheik  named  Hobab,  from  the  Gulf  of  Akaba, 

and  a  relative  of   Moses,   while  at  the  camp  in  Sinai, 

announced  his  determination  to  leave  for  his  own  land. 

Moses  and  he  had  a  conference.     Moses  presented  a 

strong  argument  against  the  sheik's  leaving.     The  sheik 

had  an  experience  which  Moses  and  his  people  needed. 

So  there  are  people  outside  the  Church  who  ought  to 

be  in  it.     They  are  needed. 

Miles  Standish,  an  iron-nerved  Puritan,  who  could  hew 

down  forests  and  live  on  crumbs,  did  yeoman  work  for 

the  Puritan  colonists  ;  but  he  held  himself  aloof  from 

Church  fellowship. 

There  are  good  men,  believers,  and  stanch  supporters 

42 


HOBAB   OF  AKABA  43 

of  Christian  dodtrine  and  life,  who  are  yet  outside  the 
visible  communion.     Should  all  others  follow  their  ex- 
ample there  would  be  no  Church  at  all. 
Consider  Moses'  argument  with  Hobab  : 

I.   THE   LORD  HATH   SPOKEN  GOOD   CONCERNING 
ISRAEL 

The  Church  is  a  Divine  institution  : 

1.  //  is  fotinded  upon  the  living  Christ. — "  Other  foun- 
dation can  no  man  lay  than  that  is  laid,  which  is  Jesus 
Christ." 

2.  Its  symbol  is  the  Bible. — 

(a)  Ethical  systems  are  good,  but 

(J))  The  Scriptures  alone  are  authoritative. 

3.  Its  sacraments  are  two — 

(a)  Baptism. 

(b)  The  Lord's  Supper. 

All  purifications  are  set  forth  in  baptism. 

All  sacrifices  are  set  forth  in  the  Lord's  Supper. 

4.  Its  purpose  is  propaganda. — The  chief  end  of  the 
Church  is  to  propagate  the  Gospel  until  the  ' '  glory  of 
the  Lord  shall  cover  the  earth  as  the  waters  cover  the 
sea." 

Politics,  philosophy,  and  other  secular  subjedls  may 
be  used,  but  they  should  be  used  sparingly  and  never 
to  obscure  Gospel  light.  There  has  been  a  great  outcry 
against  secularizing  the  pulpit.  Many  ministers  have 
heard  it  and  are  returning  to  their  legitimate  vocation. 
The  Gospel  is  "  the  power  of  God  unto  salvation."  It 
is  the  only  saving  power. 

5.  Thus  founded,  the  Church  has  been  kept  by  a  special 
providence  through  all  the  ages. — Ecclesiastical  history 
may  be  written  in  three  chapters  : 


44  A    QUIVER  OF  ARROWS 

(a)  It  opens  with  the  call  of  Abraham. 

' '  Get  thee  out  of  thy  country  and  from  thy  kindred 
and  from  thy  father's  house  unto  a  land  that  I  will  show 
thee,"  So  Abraham  journeyed  northward  along  the 
banks  of  the  great  river.  Within  the  fluttering  curtains 
of  his  tent  were  the  destinies  of  the  future  Church. 
Crossing  the  Euphrates  toward  the  west,  he  became 
literally  ' '  the  one  who  crosses  over, ' '  the  first  of  the 
Hebrews.  Then  turning  to  the  south,  he  passed  on  to 
Beersheba,  where  he  settled  with  his  household.  His 
children  greatly  multiplied.  In  course  of  time  they  went 
down  into  Egypt. 

(d)  The  second  chapter  opens  with  the  call  of  Moses. 

Out  in  the  desert  of  Midian,  God  said  :  "I  have  seen 
the  afflidlion  of  my  people  and  have  heard  their  cry. 
.  .  .  I  will  send  thee  to  bring  forth  my  people  out  of 
Egypt. ' '  Then  the  exodus.  The  midnight  wails.  The 
first-born  die,  from  the  king's  palace  to  the  peasant's 
hamlet.  It  is  the  signal  of  the  liberty  of  more  than 
two  millions  of  slaves.  Out  in  the  wilderness  God  led 
them  to  Sinai,  where  the  civil  and  religious  constitution 
was  given  them,  not  only  for  guidance  in  individual  con- 
dudl,  but  to  bind  them  together  as  a  Church  and  a  nation. 
Then  their  privations  and  battles  aided  materially  to 
keep  them  in  fellowship  and  a  people  distindtively  pecul- 
iar. So  that  at  length  they  settled  in  the  land  of  prom- 
ise a  full-fledged  nation  and  no  longer  a  rabble  of  fugi- 
tive slaves.  Beyond  the  shattered  walls  of  Jericho,  with 
Jerusalem  as  a  center,  their  religion  took  permanent  root. 

{c)  The  last  chapter  opens  with  the  song  of  the  angels: 
"  Glory  to  God  in  the  highest,  and  on  earth  peace,  good 
will  toward  men."  The  Christ  has  come — the  great  head 
of  the  Church.     He  preaches  the  great  truths  of  the 


HOBAB  OF  ARAB  A  45 

Kingdom.  His  credentials  are  His  miracles  and  His 
sayings,  over  and  above  and  beyond  all  the  sayings  of  the 
sages.  He  sets  His  face  steadfast  toward  the  cross. 
Ere  He  offers  Himself  as  the  paschal  sacrifice,  He  gathers 
about  Him  a  nucleus  of  the  future  Church,  and  com- 
mits the  sacred  oracles  to  them  and  to  their  successors. 

At  Pentecost  the  baptism  of  fire  and  power  came  upon 
them.  The  infant  body  rapidly  grew  by  the  addition  of 
thousands,  and  then  on  and  on  and  on,  until  now  there 
can  not  be  less,  on  a  fair  computation,  than  four  hundred 
millions  who  bow  the  knee  to  Jesus  Christ.  The  seed 
of  Messianic  truth,  placed  in  the  hands  of  Abraham,  has 
grown  into  a  mighty  tree,  under  whose  shadow  the  nations 
of  the  earth  take  their  shelter. 

God  loves  His  Church — 

"  Her  walls  before  Him  stand, 
Dear  as  the  apple  of  His  eye 
And  graven  on  His  hand." 

II.   COME  THOU  WITH  US   AND  WE  WILL  DO  THEE 

GOOD 

There  are  advantages  in  Church  fellowship  : 
I.  The  betiefit  of  the  avowal. — Martin  Basle,  a  monk, 
at  the  beginning  of  the  Reformation,  was  convinced  of 
the  truth,  embraced  it,  but  hesitated  to  confess  it.  He 
wrote  his  confession  on  a  leaf  of  parchment :  "  O  most 
merciful  Christ;  I  know  that  I  can  be  saved  only  by  the 
merit  of  thy  blood.  Holy  Jesus,  I  acknowledge  thy  suffer- 
ings for  me.  I  love  thee  !  I  love  thee  ! ' '  Then  he  re- 
moved a  stone  from  the  wall  of  his  chamber  and  deposited 
his  confession  there.  It  was  discovered  a  hundred  years 
after.  Meanwhile  no  one  knew  that  Martin  Basle  had 
found  Christ. 


46  A    QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

About  the  same  time,  however,  there  was  another 
monk,  Martin  of  Wittemberg,  who  saw  clearly  from  the 
Scriptures  the  docftrine  of  justification  by  faith,  and  did  not 
fear  to  confess  the  truth.  He  said  :  ' '  My  Lord  has  con- 
fessed me  before  men  ;  I  will  not  shrink  to  confess  Him 
before  kings."  On  the  door  of  the  Royal  Church  he 
nailed  his  ninety-five  theses.  In  the  Diet  of  Worms  he 
witnessed  a  noble  confession.  The  world  reveres  the 
memory  of  Martin  of  Wittemberg.  But  as  for  Martin 
Basle — who  cares  for  him  ?  The  manly  thing  to  do  is  to 
confess  one's  faith,  to  speak  out.  "  Who  is  on  the 
Lord's  side  ?  "     Be  not  afraid  to  say,  "  I  am." 

2.  The  benefit  of  the  eucharist. — Here  we  are  in  the 
midst  of  a  great  mystery.  The  bread  of  the  sacrament  is 
bread,  and  the  wine  is  nothing  but  wine.  Yet  there  is 
a  spiritual  influence  conveyed  in  partaking  of  them.  In 
discerning  the  bruised  body  and  poured-out  blood  of 
Jesus  we  enter,  in  some  mysterious  way,  into  peculiar 
communion  with  him.  "  He  dwelleth  in  me  and  I  in 
Him." 

The  bread  and  wine  are  but  symbols,  priest  and  prelate 
to  the  contrary  notwithstanding.  A  man  who  was  a 
Roman  Catholic  married  a  Protestant.  The  priest  was 
anxious  to  bring  her  into  the  Roman  fold.  She  would  go 
in  on  one  condition,  and  that  was,  if  he  could  convince  her 
that  the  wafer  and  the  wine  were  turned  into  adlual  flesh 
and  blood  when  consecrated.  The  priest  accepted  the 
challenge.  The  lady,  however,  was  allowed  to  prepare 
the  wafer  and  wine.  They  were  ready,  and  the  consecra- 
tion prayer  was  offered.  The  priest  now  declared  that  the 
change  had  taken  place.  She  insisted  on  his  assurance  of 
this.  He  was  sure.  Then  said  she,  ' '  I  have  put  poison 
in  both  the  wine  and  the  wafer  ;  but  being  no  longer  wine 


HOBAB  OF  AKABA  47 

and  wafer,  but  flesh  and  blood,  they  can  not  harm  you  by 
eating  the  one  and  drinking  the  other. ' '  The  priest  was 
a  man  of  common  sense,  and  did  not  take  the  risk. 

3.  The  benefit  of  fiiutual  help. — The  Hebrew  word  for 
strength  is  chayil,  meaning  "twisted."  Twist  three 
strands  of  a  cord  together  and  you  have  strength.  No 
man  can  stand  alone.  We  need  each  others'  prayers  and 
sympathy.  ' '  Two  are  better  than  one,  for,  if  one  fall 
the  other  will  lift  him  up ;  but  woe  to  him  that  is  alone 
when  he  falleth,  for  he  hath  not  another  to  help  him  up." 

III.   THOU  MAYEST   BE   TO   US  INSTEAD   OF  EYES 

The  Israelites  were  facing  the  wilderness.  Hobab 
knew  the  way.     He  could  help  them, 

God  is  doing  a  great  work.  He  is  doing  it  through 
the  Church.  A  call  goes  forth  to  every  earnest  man  to 
fall  in  and  cooperate  with  Him. 

Who  hears  God's  voice?  There  are  many  voices. 
The  voice  of  one's  own  heart.  The  voice  of  the  world. 
The  voice  of  the  devil.  But  God's  voice  is  different  from 
all  other  voices.  Blessed  is  the  man  who  can  distinguish 
it.  When  Barak  went  out  against  Sisera's  army  the  cry 
was  heard  from  the  heights:  "  To  the  help  of  the  lyord! 
To  the  help  of  the  lyord  against  the  mighty  ! ' '  And  from 
every  diredtion  the  tribes  came  flocking  to  His  standard. 
But  up  in  the  north,  the  village  of  Meroz,  nestling 
among  the  hills,  heeded  not  the  call.  When  the  battle 
was  over,  and  Deborah  and  her  female  friends  went  forth 
to  sing  the  triumph,  there  was  one  minor  key  : 

"  Curse  ye  Meroz,  said  the  messenger  of  the  Lord, 
Curse  ye  its  inhabitants, 

Because  they  came  not  to  the  help  of  the  Lord — 
To  the  help  of  the  Lord  against  the  mighty." 


48  A    QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

No  right-thinking  man  can  afford  to  be  left  out  of  the 
King's  army.  But  can  not  a  man  be  saved  outside  the 
Church?  Yes,  but  that  is  putting  the  question  on  the 
lowest  plane.  He  loses  the  glorious  opportunity  of  serv- 
ing in  the  Church  militant. 

"  The  Son  of  God  goes  forth  to  war, 
A  kingly  crown  to  gain  ; 
His  blood-red  banner  streams  afar — 
Who  follows  in  His  train?" 

We  are  going  to  a  land  whereof  the  lyord  hath  said, 
"  I  will  give  it  thee."  Come  with  us,  good  friend.  There 
are  blessings  by  the  way,  but  it  is  better  on  before. 
There  is  an  inheritance  in  the  Heavenly  Palestine. 

You  may  have  a  part  in  the  redemption  of  the  world 
under  this  great  Leader.  There  is  something  that  you 
can  do  that  no  one  else  can  do.  Jesus  wants  you  to  do 
it.     Enlist  and  take  your  place. 

Come  with  us.  This  great  company — the  Church — is 
under  God's  care  and  promise. 

Come  with  us.     We  will  do  thee  good. 

Come  with  us.     Your  life  will  yet  count  for  something. 


XI 

LOOSE   HIM,   AND    LET    HIM    GO 

I<oose  him,  and  let  him  go. 


•John  xi :  44. 


T       AZARUS,    Martha,    and   Mary   of    Bethany   loved 

•^"^  I       Jesus. 

^^1  Lazarus  took  sick  and  died.     During  his  ill- 

ness Jesus  was  sent  for,  but  did  not  arrive  till 
death  had  done  its  work. 

Two  unprotected  women  were  breaking  their  hearts 
when  Jesus  came.  The  three,  with  a  few  sympathizing 
friends,  went  to  the  grave.  Amid  tears  and  unspeakable 
agony  a  strange  and  altogether  unexpedted  thing  hap- 
pened. Jesus  spoke  to  the  dead  and  the  dead  returned 
to  life.  He  spoke  again,  for  the  man  was  bound  in  the 
accustomed  grave  clothes:  "  Loose  him,  and  let  him  go." 
Jesus  could  have  done  that  Himself,  but  He  wanted 
those  about  Him  to  do  some  service. 

We  do  not  know  what  business  Lazarus  followed,  nor 
do  we  know  what  were  his  charadleristics — dull,  brilliant, 
or  what  not — with  the  exception  that  he  was  a  good 
brother  and  pious.  It  serves  little  purpose  to  know  of 
his  talents  and  abilities  when  there  are  wholesome  spirit- 
ual truths  to  be  learned  from  this  remarkable  incident, 

I.  LAZARUS  WAS  BOUND 

"  Loose  him  "  means  that  he  was  bound.  The  band- 
ages interfered  with  his  liberty  of  locomotion. 

49 


50  A   QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

There  is  a  bondage  worse  than  that.  It  is  the  bond- 
age of  sin.  "Behold,  I  was  shapen  in  iniquity,  and  in 
sin  did  my  mother  conceive  me."  Peter  told  Simon, 
the  conjuror,  that  he  was  "in  the  bond  of  iniquity." 
Timothy  speaks  of  sinners,  ' '  that  they  may  recover  them- 
selves out  of  the  snare  of  the  devil,  who  are  taken  cap- 
tive by  him  at  his  will. ' ' 

The  terrible  thing  about  spiritual  bondage  is  that  there 
is  no  human  power  or  device  that  can  break  the  bonds. 
It  has  been  tried  in  all  the  centuries,  but  failure  followed 
every  attempt. 

II.   LAZARUS  WAS  LIBERATED 

No  sooner  said  than  done.  I,azarus  returned  to  life 
and  moved  among  men  the  moment  his  bandages  were 
taken  off. 

Paul  says  that  we  "  are  dead  in  trespasses  and  in  sins." 
There  is  no  power  in  a  dead  thing.  Lazarus  would  have 
remained  in  the  grave  so  far  as  any  power  in  himself  to 
get  him  out  of  it  a  live  man  was  concerned. 

1.  The  truth  makes  a  man  free. — The  freethinker 
imagines  himself  a  free  man.  Doubt  is  bewilderment 
and  bewilderment  is  bondage.  Prejudice  is  a  man's 
master.  The  Brahmin,  under  bonds  to  observe  the 
san<5tity  of  law,  saw  through  a  microscope  a  drop  of 
water  swarming  with  animalculae.  To  drink  water 
henceforth  was  to  perpetrate  ten  thousand  murders.  He 
satisfied  himself  by  breaking  the  microscope,  so  restor- 
ing himself  to  his  former  bondage.  The  freethinker 
gains  nothing  by  destroying  the  Bible. 

2.  There  is  the  liberty  of  duty. — Lazarus  returned  to  his 
daily  task.  What  he  said  and  did  may  remain  a  mys- 
tery.    But  this  we  know,  that  his  life  demanded  duty  to 


LOOSE  HIM,   AND   LET  HIM  GO  51 

be  performed  in  common  witli  all  good  men.  After  an 
experience  such  as  his  we  can  well  believe  that  wealth, 
pleasure,  and  emolument  would  have  little  power  or  in- 
fluence over  him.  The  verities  of  the  after  life  would 
absorb  all  his  attention. 

Had  he  formerly  doubted  his  immortality  he  could 
doubt  no  more.  He  would  find  his  duty  to  say  that  to 
others.  He  knew  where  he  was  and  whither  bound. 
Lazarus  was  in  his  element  in  doing  his  duty.  I  have 
seen  a  child  lean  over  the  taffrail  and  with  her  slender 
fingers  draw  a  bucket  of  water  out  of  the  ocean.  She 
found  no  difficulty  until  the  bucket  came  to  the  surface; 
then  she  could  not  budge  it  until  the  boatswain  came 
to  her  assistance.  So  our  tasks  are  easy  when  in  our 
element ;  Jesus  does  the  rest. 

3.  Lazarus  would  have  a  new  view  of  the  dignity  of 
men  and  the  importance  of  believing  ifi  fesus  Christ  and 
living  right. — It  is  marvelous  to  think  that  God  has  put 
so  much  dignity  upon  man  as  to  make  him  equal  with 
Himself  to  think  and  adl  for  himself,  which  means  the 
power  to  choose  between  right  and  wrong  ;  and  also  to 
live  side  by  side  with  Him  forever,  which  means  eternal 
existence. 

4.  Lazarus  woidd  have  a  7iew  viewof  htiman  equality. — 
As  a  Jew  he  believed  that  the  Gentile  was  less  in  favor 
with  God  than  himself.  ' '  God  is  no  respedler  of  per- 
sons." As  a  fadl,  all  men  are  not  equal.  Some  are  bom 
in  huts,  others  in  palaces  ;  some  to  hardship,  others  to 
ease;  and  so  on  through  the  life  of  the  race.  But  in  God's 
sight  and  for  spiritual  purposes  all  men  are  equal.  ' '  We 
brought  nothing  into  the  world,  and  it  is  certain  that  we 
can  carry  nothing  out."  Every  man  must  stand  for 
himself. 


52  A  QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

III.  LAZARUS  WAS  BROUGHT  TO  LIFE  THROUGH 
JESUS  CHRIST 

Lazarus  was  really  dead.  The  proof  lay  in  the  fadl 
that  his  sisters  and  others  who  were  present  at  the  time 
believed  this  and  manifested  it  in  their  adlions ;  also  in 
the  fadl  that  decay  in  the  body  had  already  set  in.  He 
was  in  no  trance. 

Christ  used  no  legerdemain  or  artificial  means  to  bring 
him  to  life.  He  did  not  so  much  as  touch  him.  He 
simply  called  him  by  his  name  and  told  him  to  ' '  come 
forth."  In  obedience  to  the  word  Lazarus  opened  his 
eyes,  struggled  to  rise,  and  when  divested  of  his  grave 
clothes  mingled  with  the  people. 

Now,  Jesus  did  it.  If  our  dead  souls  ever  come  to  life 
Jesus  must  do  it.  ' '  There  is  no  other  name  under  heaven 
given  among  men  whereby  we  must  be  saved."  He 
"came  to  give  life  and  to  give  it  more  abundantly." 
"  I  am  the  resurredtion  and  the  life." 

Creed  can  not  save,  nor  philosophy,  nor  morals,  nor  the 
Church,  nor  any  other  thing. 

IV.   LAZARUS  RETURNED   FOR  SERVICE 

True,  one  objedl  of  his  returning  was  to  show  the 
power  of  Jesus  Christ  to  bring  back  the  dead  to  life,  and 
thus  convince  the  skeptical ;  but  we  would  also  lay 
emphasis  on  the  idea  of  service.  Lazarus  could  give  in- 
formation to  the  Sadducee  who  did  not  believe  in  the 
resurredtion,  nor  indeed  in  the  future  life.  Lazarus 
gave  the  death-blow  to  that  numerous  sedl,  and  was  there- 
fore of  immense  service  to  his  fellow  men. 

He  could  serve  men  in  showing  them  the  right  rela- 
tions between  them  and  God.  He  could  tell  them  also 
that  liberty  was  attainable  for  all.    Leaders  of  the  Church 


k; 


LOOSE  HIM,   AND   LET  HIM  GO  53 

and  the  nation  were  thrown  into  a  state  of  consternation 
and  chaos  by  his  theology.  They  became  so  bitter 
against  him  that  they  laid  plans  to  take  his  life.  He 
was  loyal  to  Christ  to  the  end,  as  we  may  well  believe. 

Let  us  learn  our  lesson.  Just  as  Lincoln  by  a  stroke 
of  the  pen  liberated  millions  of  slaves,  so  Christ  by  His 
death  on  the  cross  proclaims  liberty  to  all  who  will  have 
it,  and  by  this  miracle  of  the  resurredlion  of  Lazarus 
settles  the  question  of  immortality  and  eternal  life. 


XII 

HOW   JERICHO   FELL 


By  faith  the  walls  of  Jericho  fell  down,  after 
they  were  compassed  about  seven  days. 

— Hebrews  xi :  30. 


ERiCHO  was  the  key  to  the  conquest  of  Canaan. 
The  angel  of  the  Lord  and  Joshua  had  a  con- 
ference, and  a  plan  of  siege  was  agreed  upon. 
The  plan  was  unique  and  quite  original ;  but 
it  was  carried  out,  and  Jericho  fell. 

The  secret,  if  known  to-day,  would  save  millions  of 
money,  both  in  war  and  industry.  It  is  of  value,  too,  to 
the  Church ;  for  the  strongholds  of  evil  have  to  be 
thrown  down. 

Islam  is  a  frowning  Jericho  which  stands  in  the  way  of 
progress.  There  is  Judaism,  with  its  walls  towering  to 
heaven.  There  is  infidelity,  whose  bulwarks  have  resisted 
the  assaults  of  ages.  There  is  the  dram-shop,  Sabbath 
desecration,  and  licentiousness.  How  shall  these  Jerichos 
be  reduced  ? 

By  faith.     "  By  faith  the  walls  of  Jericho  fell  down." 

I.   FAITH   THREW  UP   ITS  HANDS 

It  confessed  its  inability.  On  that  moonlight  night 
Joshua  saw  the  barred  gates  and  the  strong  walls.  He 
believed  the  task  was  hopeless. 

But  just  here  was  his  strength.  So  with  Paul.  "I 
will  glory  in  my  infirmities  that  the  power  of  Christ  may 
rest  upon  me. ' '  And  again:  ' '  I  can  do  all  things  through 
Christ  which  strengtheneth  me. ' ' 

64 


HOW  JERICHO  FELL  55 

II.   FAITH   FELL  ON  ITS  KNEES 

At  this  time  the  Israelites  kept  the  Passover.  It  delayed 
them  a  week,  and  gave  the  enemy  a  chance  to  strengthen 
his  defenses.     But  no  matter. 

During  a  campaign  some  one  asked  the  Duke  of  Alva 
if  he  had  seen  the  eclipse  the  night  before.  ' '  No, ' '  he 
replied,  "  I  am  too  busy  to  look  skyward."  It  is  a  mis- 
take to  go  into  conflidl  with  the  world  without  the  morn- 
ing prayer,  or  to  go  into  the  darkness  and  danger  of  sleep 
without  committing  yourself  into  the  hands  of  God. 

III.  FAITH  GOT  HOLD  OF  THE  PROMISE 

"I  will  deliver  Jericho  into  thy  hand."  That  was 
enough  for  Joshua. 

A  young  man  from  a  Western  town  wrote  me  :  "  I  am 
ambitious  to  come  to  New  York  and  make  my  way.  Can 
you  give  me  a  word  of  encouragement  ?  I  must  have 
something  to  bank  on." 

We  need  a  promise  from  God  to  bank  on.  The  Book 
is  full  of  them.  "  Ask  and  it  shall  be  given."  "  They 
that  wait  upon  the  Lord  shall  renew  their  strength." 
"  Lo,  I  am  with  j^ou  alway." 

Get  hold  of  the  promise.  Spread  it  out.  Meditate 
upon  it  day  and  night.  Grasp  it  tighter.  Stretch  it 
wider  and  wider.     Lie  down  upon  it.     Rest  in  it. 

The  great  bridge  over  Niagara  began  with  a  kite-string  ; 
then  came  a  whip-cord,  then  a  rope,  then  a  wire,  then  a 
cable,  then  a  foot-bridge,  then  a  magnificent  strudlure 
over  which  railroad  trains  thunder  along. 

IV.   FAITH   FELL  IN   WITH  THE   DIVINE   PLAN 

If  General  Joshua  had  called  a  council  of  war,  which 
seems  to  be  the  modem  method,  one  would  have  sug- 


56  A   QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

gested  the  redudlion  of  Jericho  by  sapping  and  mining; 
another,  to  place  catapults  on  the  neighboring  hills  to 
batter  down  the  gates;  another,  to  protra(5l  the  siege  by 
the  slow  process  of  famine.  Joshua  did  no  such  thing. 
He  adted  upon  the  Divine  plan. 

There  is  a  Divine  plan  marked  out  for  our  daily  life. 
It  consists  of  salvation  by  Jesus  Christ,  sandtification  by 
the  Holy  Spirit,  and  evangelization  of  the  world  by 
Christian  disciples. 

There  are  other  plans,  but  they  are  all  miserable 
failures. 

V.  FAITH   THEN  PROCEEDED  TO   BUSINESS 

The  Israelites  formed  in  line,  took  the  Ark  of  the 
Covenant  with  them,  kept  silence,  marched  round  the 
city,  and  then  at  the  proper  time  shouted.  This  was 
exadt  obedience,  and  this  was  the  secret  of  the  success. 

A  passive  faith  is  a  no  faith.  People  do  not  reach 
heaven  by  sitting  in  their  pews  and  singing  hymns. 

Off  yonder  is  a  ship  at  sea.     Hail  it! 

"Ship  ahoy!" 

"Ay,  ay!" 

"  Whither  bound  ?  " 

"To  Canaan." 

' '  Where's  your  skipper  ?  " 

"  Down  below." 

* '  Your  helmsman  ? ' ' 

' '  Down  below. ' ' 

' '  Your  crew  ? ' ' 

' '  Down  below. ' ' 

' '  What  are  you  doing  ?  ' ' 

"Drifting." 

"  You'll  never  get  there!  " 


HOW  JERICHO  FELL  57 

And  they  never  will.  People  do  not  reach  Canaan 
that  way. 

1.  //  requires  courage  to  follow  the  Diviyie  plan. — Many 
an  arrow,  doubtless,  was  shot  from  the  walls,  with  what 
was  harder  to  bear — laughter  and  derision;  but  the  He- 
brews kept  right  on. 

2.  //  took  patience. — A  little  fellow  in  kilts  with  a  fire- 
shovel  in  hand  was  carrying  a  ton  of  coal  from  the  side- 
walk to  the  chute.  A  gentleman  said,  "  Do  you  expedt 
to  shovel  all  that  in  ?  "     "  Yes,  sir,  if  I  keep  at  it. ' ' 

VI.  GOD  DID  IT 

There  was  no  virtue  in  that  queer  procession  and  in  its 
queerer  adtions  at  and  around  those  Jericho  walls. 

1.  It  is  so  i?i  the  matter  of  salvation. — We  are  to  repent 
and  believe,  but  God  saves.  ' '  Not  by  might  nor  by 
power,  but  by  my  spirit,  saith  the  Lord. ' ' 

2.  //  is  so  in  the  matter  of  sanctification. — "  It  is  God 
that  worketh  in  you.  both  to  will  and  to  do  of  His  own 
good  pleasure."  We  breathe,  but  God  furnishes  the 
air.  We  eat,  but  God  provides  the  bread.  We  drink, 
but  it  is  out  of  the  King's  well. 

3.  It  is  so  in  the  matter  of  service. — "Paul  may  plant 
and  Apollos  water,  but  God  giveth  the  increase. ' ' 

Israel  could  go  no  farther  than  the  brink  of  the  Red 
Sea.     God  piled  up  the  water  on  either  side. 

Here  we  see  the  secret : 

{a)  Of  self -conquest.     Begin  by  kneeling. 

{]}')  Of  conquest  of  the  world.  The  humble  few  from 
the  little  Jerusalem  chamber  was  the  vanguard  of  the 
mighty  procession. 

We  shall  win  the  world  yet !     "  Faith  is  the  vidtory." 


XIII 
THE   PERFECT    LAW   OF    LIBERTY 


Whoso  looketh  into  the  perfect  law  of  liberty 
and  continueth  therein  .  .  .  shall  be  blessed 
in  his  deed. 

— James  i :  25. 


SOME  hold  that  law  and  liberty  are  contradidlory 
I       terms. 
^ail  Madame  Roland,  it  is  said,  on  her  way  to 

the  guillotine,  paused  before  a  statue  of  Free- 
dom and  exclaimed,  "  O  Freedom  !  how  many  crimes  are 
perpetrated  in  thy  sacred  name!  " 

The  French  Revolution  had  its  inception  and  was  car- 
ried on  under  the  mistaken  idea  of  liberty.  In  that  reign 
of  terror  fourteen  hundred  victims  were  sacrificed. 

Liberty  is  not  an  escape  from  law,  exemption  from 
restraint,  deliverance  from  obligation,  but  rather  to  move 
without  let  or  hindrance  within  one's  proper  sphere. 

A  truant  boy  is  not  free,  however  he  may  enjoy  him- 
self in  the  fields.  He  is  free  only  when  addressing  him- 
self to  the  tasks  assigned  to  him.  A  prisoner  who  has 
broken  his  bars  is  under  a  bondage  stronger  than  locks 
and  bolts,  as  seen  in  his  furtive  glance  and  guarded  step. 
A  sensualist  is  a  slave  to  sinful  indulgence  and  is  lashed 
with  a  whip  of  scorpions.  The  freethinker,  so-called, 
is  in  the  thrall  of  prejudice.  Lawlessness  is  not 
freedom. 

58 


THE  PERFECT  LAW  OF  LIBERTY  59 

The  freest  man  that  ever  lived  was  Jesus  Christ.  Free, 
because  He  was  absolutely  true  to  His  place.  There  is 
no  liberty  except  under  law.  A  ship  sails  free  only  when 
she  keeps  to  her  course.  Christ  kept  to  His  course ; 
therefore: 

I.   HE   WAS   BOUND  TO   FULFIL   HIS  DESTINY 

His  destiny  was  outlined  in  the  Word  of  God.  His 
journey  from  Bethlehem  to  Calvary  was  planned  from  all 
eternity.  At  Nazareth  He  opened  the  Scriptures  and 
read:  "The  Spirit  of  the  L,ord  is  upon  me,  because  he 
hath  anointed  me  to  preach  the  Gospel  to  the  poor,  to 
heal  the  broken  hearted,  to  preach  deliverance  to  the 
captives,  recovering  of  sight  to  the  blind,  to  set  at  liberty 
them  that  are  bruised,  to  preach  the  acceptable  year  of 
thelyord."  Then  He  said,  "This  day  is  the  Scripture 
fulfilled  in  your  ears. ' '  He  cried  on  the  cross,  "It  is 
finished."    What?  All  prophecy  respedling  His  mission. 

So  with  us.  "All  scripture  is  given  by  inspiration  of 
God  that  the  Man  of  God  may  be  perfedt,  thoroughly 
furnished  unto  all  good  works."  This  means  that  God's 
Word  is  a  rule  of  condudt  for  man. 

The  old  soothsayers  used  the  rock  crystal  in  telling 
fortunes.     The  Bible  is  our  rock  crystal. 

II.  HE  WAS  UNDER  THE  DOMINATION  OF  DUTY 

"  Wist  ye  not  that  I  must  be  about  my  Father's  busi- 
ness. "  "I  must  work  the  works  of  him  that  sent  me. ' ' 
He  was  loyal. 

Conscience  is  our  monitor  of  duty.  As  the  clock- 
maker  adjusts  the  chronometer,  so  God  adjusts  our  con- 
science. 

Captain  Clark  was  under  sealed  orders  when  he  took 


60  A   QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

the  Oregon  from  the  Golden  Gate  to  Cuba.     His  course 
was  marked  out  for  him  and  he  held  to  it. 

A  man  is  freest  when  loyal  to  the  duty  marked  out  for 
him  in  the  Word  of  God. 

III.   HE  WAS  OBEDIENT 

"  Lo!  I  come  to  do  thy  will,  O  God." 

When  He  desired  to  reach  Galilee,  He  "  must  needs  go 
through  Samaria. ' '  There  was  a  7ieed  be  when  He  came 
to  redeem  mankind.  There  was  a  need  be  to  go  to  Cal- 
vary. 

There  is  a  need  be  on  all  Christ's  followers;  for  suffer- 
ing humanity  cries  out  for  help. 

IV.   HE  WAS  UNDER  CONSTRAINT  BY  HIS  OWN 
NATURE 

Plato  said  to  Socrates  :  "It  may  be  that  the  gods  can 
forgive  sin;  but  I  do  not  see  how  it  is  possible,  since  I 
do  not  perceive  why  they  ought  to. ' '  There  is  no  higher 
authority  than  God.  We  can  not  see  that  God  ought  to 
forgive  sin.     We  only  know  that  He  does. 

The  sinner's  repentance,  tears,  and  reformation  do  not 
satisfy  Divine  justice.  A  hundred  years  ago  old  Dr. 
Samuel  Johnson,  bareheaded,  standing  in  the  market- 
place, sought  to  expiate  a  sin  of  disobedience  in  his  boy- 
hood days.  He  could  not  do  it.  Punishment  does  not 
change  chara(5ler.     Fire  can  not  bum  it. 

What  remains,  then?  Nothing  but  Calvary.  Jesus 
can  do  it,  and  He  alone.  He  is  our  great  liberator. 
' '  Where  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  is  there  is  liberty. ' ' 

Valjean  escaped  from  the  galleys.  An  old  man  was 
arrested  in  his  stead.  Valjean  for  a  while  was  content, 
but  there  was  an  inward  bondage  more  galling  than 


^, 


THE  PERFECT  LA  W  OF  LIBERTY  61 

chains.     He  gave  himself  up.     At  that  moment  he  felt 
free,  and  a  great  light  shone  within  him.     It  is  ever  so. 

Defiance  of  law  is  self-enslavement.  To  do  right  is 
freedom.  ' '  Stand  fast,  therefore,  in  the  liberty  where- 
with Christ  hath  made  us  free  ' '  ;  for  this  is  *  *  the  glori- 
ous liberty  of  the  children  of  God. ' ' 


XIV 
STANDARDS  OF  MEASUREMENT 


But  they,  measuring  themselves  by  themselves, 
and  comparing  themselves  among  themselves, 
are  not  wise. 

—II.  Corinthians  x  :  12. 


'TT*  HERE  was  a  coterie  of  self-righteous  people  in  the 
*•    I        Corinthian   Church  who  admired    themselves 
^l^»l      more  than  they  admired  others.     Paul  was  a 
mere  letter-writer.      He  was  twitted  on   his 
stammering  speech  and  physical  infirmities.     His  reply 
had  a  fine,  sharp  edge — fine,  but  dignified.     Their  stand- 
ards were  false. 

An  authoritative  standard  is  necessary.  An  artist  has 
his  standard,  the  musician  his,  the  sailor  his,  the  soldier 
his  ;  so  with  the  tailor,  the  merchant,  the  farmer.  Why 
not  the  Christian  ?  Can  we  play  fast  and  loose  in  matters 
involving  eternal  realties  ? 
Start  with: 

I.   OUR  CONCEPTION  OF  GOD 

All  men  are  looking  for  God.  None  can  live,  labor,  or 
achieve  anything  without  Him, 

The  pagan  makes  a  god  after  his  own  likeness.  Isaiah 
says  :  ' '  After  the  figure  of  a  man  ...  he  f alleth 
down  unto  it  and  worshipeth  it."  The  image  is  endowed 
with  human  attributes.  Even  bugs  and  beasts  and  in- 
animate things,  Nilus,  the  crocodile,  and  the  holy  scara- 
baeus,  are  made  to  deport  themselves  like  men. 

So,  also,  the  Pantheon  of   Rome.     Olympus  had  its 

62 


STANDARDS   OF  MEASUREMENT  63 

human  gods,  Venus  was  a  drab,  Mercury  a  common 
thief,  Jupiter  and  Juno  were  no  better  than  they  should 
be — all  were  colossal  men  and  women,  with  splendid  vir- 
tues and  magnificent  vices. 

The  tendency  is  universal. 

We,  even  in  this  enlightened  age,  fashion  our  gods  after 
our  own  dimensions.  We  conceive  of  God  what  suits  us. 
To  the  Puritan,  He  was  justice.  To  the  French,  le  Bon 
Dieri,  who  would  not  crush  a  fly  to  save  a  world.  To  the 
devout  mystic,  ineffable  holiness.  Human  measurement 
is  wrong.  A  traveler  on  the  summit  of  the  Alps  in  the 
early  morning  sees  his  shadow  projedted,  like  a  mighty 
specter,  moving  along  the  tops  of  the  distant  hills.  It 
is  but  a  shadow  ;  that,  and  nothing  more. 

God  is  more  than  a  reflection  of  ourselves.  "  Thou 
thoughtest  I  was  altogether  such  an  one  as  thou  art. ' ' 

God  has  revealed  Himself  in  the  Scriptures.  There's 
the  authority. 

We  shall  see  His  glory,  like  Moses,  if  we  put  away 
prejudice  and  mental  bias.  Only  when  we  do  that,  and 
take  the  Bible  as  authority,  shall  we  get  a  true  conception 
of  God. 

II.   OUR  CONCEPTION  OF  THE  IDEAL   MAN 

An  ideal  is  necessary  to  chara(5ter.  Some  reach  it  by 
combination.  Plato  got  his  Dikaios,  or  "just  man,"  in 
this  way.  Others  get  it  by  seledlion,  having  some  one  in 
mind  as  a  model :  as  Howard,  Wilberforce,  McCheyne, 
Rutherford,  Gladstone,  Lincoln,  etc.  Care  should  be 
taken  to  selecft  one  superior  and  never  inferior  to  one's 
self.  The  one-eyed  is  easily  king  among  the  blind. 
The  Pharisee  was  his  own  model. 

A  wrong  measurement!     Other  men's  failures  can  not 


64  A    QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

save  us,  other  men's  successes  should  never  appal  us. 
A  man  can  never  know  himself  by  measuring  himself 
with  others,  for  the  best  is  imperfedt.  Where,  then,  is 
the  true  standard  ?    Where  the  Ideal  Man  ? 

The  answer  is  :  "  Christ  Jesus. ' '  All  have  come  short 
of  Him. 

All  are  urged  to  become  like  Him. 

III.   THE  TRUE  STANDARD  OF  RIGHT  AND  WRONG 

Man  must  have  a  reliable  rule  of  condudl.  Can  he  find 
it  in  tradition  ?  That  is  a  strong  chain  in  the  sphere  of 
ethics.  Many  excuse  themselves  on  the  ground  of 
heredity.  "  Father  drank  to  excess.  I  have  inherited  the 
taste  for  liquor. ' '  Our  answer  is,  I^et  the  father's  decanter 
be  taken  ofi"  the  sideboard,  and  let  the  battle  be  fought 
on  the  ground  of  responsibility,  and  God  will  befriend 
you. 

Can  the  rule  of  condudl  be  found  in  fashion  ?  Fashion 
is  fallacious.  Fashion  is  one  thing  to-day  and  another 
thing  to-morrow.  In  some  parts  of  Switzerland  goitres 
are  in  fashion.  If  a  man  has  not  such  an  excrescence  he 
is  called  "  goose-necked." 

Or  shall  we  follow  conscience  ?  It  is  not  enough  to  be 
conscientious.  Habit  may  spoil  conscience.  It  may  be 
twisted  out  of  its  normal  condition,  as  the  magnetic 
needle  is  defledted  by  the  iron  in  the  ship's  hull.  Philip 
II.  followed  his  conscience  when  he  desired  to  ride  up  to 
the  bridle  in  Protestant  blood. 

God's  Word  is  the  standard.  All  else  fails.  God 
gives  wisdom  for  the  asking.  The  Holy  Spirit  regulates 
the  conscience.  The  chronometer  is  adjusted  by  the  sun 
only.  So  the  conscience  alone  is  regulated  by  the  Word 
of  God  as  interpreted  by  the  Holy  Spirit. 


STANDARDS   OF  MEASUREMENT  65 

IV.   THE   RULE  OF  SERVICE 

There  is  a  cry  for  help  everywhere.  What  shall  we 
do  for  the  tramp,  the  idler,  the  ignorant,  the  sick,  the 
weak-minded,  the  prisoner,  the  widows,  and  the  father- 
less? 

Sociology  is  well  enough  in  its  way,  but  it  treats  man 
only  as  an  animal.  Man  is  more  than  an  animal.  He 
has  esthetic  tastes.  He  has  a  soul  to  be  fed.  He  lives 
forever. 

Immortal  needs  are  not  to  be  measured  by  physical 
standards.  The  Cross  is  the  standard  of  all  philanthropy; 
it  saves  body  and  soul  alike.  To  try  to  solve  the  social 
problem  without  Christ  is  like  trying  to  build  a  house 
from  the  chimney  down. 

An  artist,  desiring  to  paint  the  Prodigal's  Return, 
engaged  a  tramp  on  the  street  to  sit  as  a  model.  He 
thoughtlessly  paid  him  in  advance,  and  the  next  day  the 
man  appeared  dressed  in  new  clothes,  unfit  to  serve  as  a 
model.  So  philanthropy  can  not  with  soap  and  water 
and  good  clothes  fit  a  prodigal  to  appear  in  his  Father's 
house.  The  philanthropic  Christ  alone  can  do  that. 
The  change  must  be  inward,  and  Christ  will  put  on  him 
the  best  robe. 

Self,  then,  must  be  eliminated  from  our  moral  judg- 
ments. Cease  measuring  ourselves  by  ourselves  and 
comparing  ourselves  among  ourselves.  The  Athenian 
sculptor  was  condemned  for  carving  his  name  on  an  inner 
fold  of  his  statue's  garment.  Self  must  not  intrude  upon 
spiritual  things.  Get  back  to  God.  When  He  speaks 
put  finger  on  lip.  His  word  is  ultimate.  All  standards 
aside  from  His  are  wrong.     His  is  supreme. 


XV 

GOD   AND   THE   PEOPLE 

I,et  the  people  praise  thee,  O  God;  let  all  the 
people  praise  thee. 

—Psalm  Ixviirs. 

N  a  bay  window  overlooking  the  Strand,  in  Lon- 
don, sat  Thomas  Carlyle,  pen  in  hand  and  eyes 
upon  the  madding  crowd.  ' '  There  are  in  the 
world,"  he  wrote,  "about  thirteen  hundred 
millions — mostly  fools. ' '  Perhaps  so  ;  but  he  should 
have  added,  "  Quorum  pars  magna  fui.^' 

These  are  the  people — immortal  human  beings,  jostling 
one  another  along  the  busy  highways,  intent  on  getting 
gold,  chasing  butterflies  and  thistle-down,  grasping  at 
laurel  wreaths,  killing  time,  caviling  at  destin}^  flinging 
opportunity  to  the  left  hand  and  high  privilege  to  the 
right,  with  eyes  hot  with  passion  and  brows  scarred  by 
the  plowshares  of  vain  chastisement,  blind  to  yesterday 
and  reckless  of  to-morrow. 

The  adtors  on  the  stage  are  kings  and  potentates, 
misers  and  profligates,  the  upper  tenth  and  the  submerged 
tenth,  with  the  third  estate,  bearing  the  burdens  of  both. 
All  sorts  and  conditions  of  men  reeling,  staggering,  jost- 
ling— '  *  mostly  fools  ' '  ;  fools,  who  are  hastening  to  the 
grave  without  much  thought  as  to  what  may  be  be- 
yond it. 

Who  cares? 

God  cares. — The  philanthropist  may  leave  Him  out  of 
his  reckoning,  but  God  knows  the  people.  He  sees  their 
folly,  pities  their  sorrows,  and  contemplates  their  de- 
liverance. 

66 


GOD  AND    THE  PEOPLE  67 

Social  science  may  leave  God  out  of  its  reckoning. 
But  without  God,  what  message  has  it?  To  call  God 
Law,  or  Force,  or  Something  that  Makes  for  Righteous- 
ness, is  simply  juggling  with  words.  God  has  eyes  to 
see,  a  heart  to  feel,  and  an  arm  to  save. 

There  are  three  fadts  in  evidence  of  this : 

I.    HIS  PROVIDENCE 

Robert  IngersoU  once  said  that  if  he  had  the  governing 
of  the  human  race  he  would  improve  on  the  present  ad- 
ministration. Unfortunately  since  then  he  died,  and 
there  is  not  much  hope  of  any  one  else  undertaking  the 
experiment.  The  pick  of  our  country  may  be  said  to  be 
found  in  the  two  Houses  of  Congress.  But  with  all 
their  concentrated  wisdom  there  is  immense  room  for 
improvement. 

Things  may  not  seem  equal  in  this  life.  The  contrasts 
appear  clear  cut:  rags  and  ermine,  Riverside  Drive  and 
Mulberry  Bend,  crutches  and  carriages,  the  plumed  hearse 
and  the  dead-cart.  Bear  in  mind  that  we  see  only  a 
small  sedlion  of  the  arc.  Difficulties  confront  the  Ruler 
of  this  rebellious  world,  especially  when  we  remember 
that  He  never  forces  the  human  will.  There  is  an 
equable  distribution  of  air  and  sunshine.  Food  and 
medicine  are  fairly  provided,  and  if  some  get  more  than 
others  God  should  not  be  held  responsible  for  the  squab- 
ble in  the  getting  of  it.  Then  something  should  be  put 
down  in  favor  of  the  compensations  of  Heaven.  God  is 
making  all  things  to  work  together  for  the  good  of  each 
and  all. 

II.   HIS  GRACE 

Over  against  all  complaints  set  that  marvelous  declara- 
tion :  '  *  God  so  loved  the  world  that  he  gave  his  only 


68  A   QUIVER  OF  ARROWS 

begotten  Son,  that  whosoever  believeth  in  him  should 
not  perish,  but  have  everlasting  life."  Here  is  no  dis- 
crimination, but  universal  amnesty,  on  the  sole  condition 
that  the  rebel  lay  down  his  arms. 

This  "only  begotten  Son"  became  a  man  of  the 
people.  I^et  philanthropists  and  socialists  remember  that. 
He  was  one  of  themselves,  engaged  in  industrial  pur- 
suits, knowing  their  needs  and  sympathizing  with  them. 

Aside  from  His  personality,  learn  what  He  taught  in 
His  Sermon  on  the  Mount.  Put  the  principles  He 
taught  there  into  pradlise,  and  you  reconcile  the  lowly 
and  the  lofty,  the  king  and  his  subjects,  capital  and 
labor.  You  cut  the  sinews  of  war  and  make  an  utter 
end  of  injustice.  The  Golden  Rule,  and  that  alone,  can 
usher  in  the  Truce  of  God. 

Add  to  the  personality  and  the  teachings  of  Jesus  the 
lesson  of  the  Cross.  This  is  an  answer  to  all  complaints 
against  Divine  equity.  He  was  the  people's  Christ. 
"He  tasted  death  for  every  man."  And  every  man  is 
offered  eternal  life  for  nothing  and  all  the  benefits  in 
conne(5tion  with  that,  both  here  and  hereafter.  No  re- 
spedt  of  persons  in  all  this  !  Members  of  the  Sanhedrin, 
the  thief  on  the  cross,  rabbis,  fishermen,  knights,  friend- 
less outcasts,  vestals,  magdalens — all  gather  at  the  Cross 
on  equal  terms. 

III.   HIS  CHURCH 

The  Church  is  not  a  coterie  of  good  people,  but  sin- 
ners distinguished  from  all  other  sinners  in  that  they 
accept  Christ  as  a  savior  and  a  guide.  Not  truth-seek- 
ers, but  seekers  who  have  found  the  truth.  Not  an 
ethical  society,  casting  about  for  a  code  of  morals;  this 
also  they  have  found  in  the  Decalog,  the  Sermon  on  the 
Mount,  and  the  example  of  Jesus,  who  alone  of  all  others 


GOD   AND    THE  PEOPLE  69 

came  up  to  the  full  measure  of  the  law.     The  Church's 
business  is  to  save  men. 

The  Church  stands  alone  as  the  great  reformatory- 
agency.  All  other  agencies  attempt  reform  from  with- 
out, this  one  from  within.  When  5^ou  have  reformed 
the  heart,  the  outside  life  will  conform  to  that  as  a  mat- 
ter of  course.     "As  a  man  thinketh,  so  is  he." 

Nearly  all  agencies  for  the  betterment  of  mankind  are 
supported  by  the  Church.  In  Manhattan  there  are  about 
twelve  hundred  institutions  for  the  relief  of  suffering. 
Of  these  all  that  depend  upon  the  non-religions  for  sup- 
port can  be  counted  on  the  fingers  of  four  men. 

The  Church  aims  at  the  deliverance  of  the  whole  man. 
It  is  difl&cult  to  consider  soul  and  body  apart ;  as  Tristram 
Shandy  says,  ' '  They  are  like  a  jerkin  and  its  lining — if 
you  rumple  the  one  you  rumple  the  other. ' '  Christ  fed 
five  thousand  while  he  preached  to  them.  Dr.  Guthrie 
visited  a  dying  woman  in  an  attic.  He  could  make  no 
impression  upon  her.  He  said  :  ' '  My  good  woman,  do 
you  not  realize  that  you  are  passing  into  eternity  ?  Do  you 
not  care  that  in  a  few  moments  you  will  stand  before  the 
judgment  bar?"  "No  more  would  you,  Dr.  Guthrie, 
if  you  were  as  cold  as  I  am,"  she  replied. 

To  deliver  the  whole  man  the  Church  should  not  be  in- 
different to  secular  agencies.  It  is  not  perfect,  and  may 
sometimes  deserve  rebuke,  as  when  Robert  Burns  wrote  : 

"  O  ye  wha  are  sae  guid  yoursel', 

Sae  pious  and  sae  holy, 
Who've  naught  to  do  but  mark  and  tell 

Your  neebor's  fauts  and  folly — 
O  gently  scan  your  brother  man, 

Still  gentlier  sister  woman  ; 
Though  they  may  gang  a  kennin'  wrang. 

To  step  aside  is  human." 


70  A   QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

Our  cities  would  perhaps  be  less  like  Sodom  if  the 
Church  had  taken  more  interest  in  politics.  The  unscru- 
pulous have  had  full  swing.  They  naturally  want  to  be 
let  alone.  They  dread  nothing  so  much  as  interference 
by  the  Church.  Their  motto  is  the  squatters'  claim  : 
' '  This  is  our  preserve  ;  no  trespassing. ' ' 

The  temperance  question  may  not  have  had  proper  at- 
tention paid  to  it  by  the  Church.  In  this  Borough  of 
Manhattan  there  are  six  thousand  dram-shops.  Side  by 
side  they  make  a  twenty-five  mile  thoroughfare  of  man- 
traps. Here  is  the  breeding-place  for  political  corruption. 
lyCt  the  ax  be  laid  at  the  root  of  the  tree.  I^et  judgment 
begin  at  the  house  of  God. 

If  the  Church  of  God  is  the  greatest  of  social  forces, 
the  place  of  true  reformers  is  within  its  fold.  To  spend 
one's  energies  in  the  mere  betterment  of  the  physical 
environment  of  the  people  is  to  undertake  to  boil  the 
kettle  at  the  top.  The  greatest  of  sociological  problems, 
when  all  is  said  and  done,  is  to  regenerate  the  moral 
nature  of  humanity  and  bring  it  into  harmony  with  the 
social  order  of  the  universe.  That  is  just  what  the 
Church  is  doing. 

By  all  means,  utilize  every  beneficent  agency  to  make 
a  heaven  here  below ;  but  alas  !  for  the  man  who  stops 
there  and  sees  no  heaven  bej^ond  !  The  prisoner  of  Chil- 
lon,  doomed  to  a  solitary  despair,  saw  a  rift  in  his  dun- 
geon wall.  Dragging  his  chain,  he  clambered  upward 
and  looked  through.  There  lay  the  green  valley,  with 
the  silver  river  gliding  through,  and  the  blue  heavens 
over  all.  As  he  gazed  through  his  tears  a  bird  began  to 
sing— 

"  A  lovely  bird  with  azure  wings, 
And  song  that  said  a  thousand  things. 
And  seemed  to  say  them  all  to  me." 


GOD   AND    THE  PEOPLE  71 

Our  world  is  populous  with  sorrowing  souls.  It  is  for 
the  Church  to  hghten  the  pains  of  their  imprisonment 
but,  best  of  all,  to  help  them  upward  to  the  window 
that  opens  to  the  eternal  life.  This  is  to  bring  them, 
despite  all  narrowness  of  circumstance,  into  the  glorious 
Hberty  of  the  children  of  God. 


XVI 
THE   LORD'S   HORSES   AND   CHARIOTS 


And  Elisha  prayed,  and  said,  lyord,  I  pray  thee, 
open  his  eyes,  that  he  may  see.  And  the  Lord 
opened  the  eyes  of  the  young  man,  and  he  saw  ; 
and,  behold,  the  mountain  was  full  of  horses  and 
chariots  of  fire. 

—II.  Kings  vi :  17. 


T7^    iwiSHA  might  have  cut  a  sorry  figure  in  managing 

^■^  I        a  catapult  or  in  handling  a  bow,  but  he  did 

^^^J      splendid  work  as  a  spy.     His  gift  of  spiritual 

insight   enabled   him   to  penetrate  the  secret 

chambers  of  the  King  of  Syria  and  to  disclose  his  plans. 

Benhadad,  learning  of  this,  determined  to  make  away 
with  the  meddling  prophet,  and  so  surrounded  Dothan 
with  troops. 

Next  morning  Elisha' s  young  man  climbed  the  walls 
of  Dothan  and  saw  the  place  was  invested.  In  his  fright 
he  hurried  to  Elisha,  saying  :  "  Alas  !  master,  what  shall 
we  do  ?  "  The  prophet  prayed  that  God  might  open  the 
eyes  of  the  young  man  to  see  the  mountain  filled  with 
horses  and  chariots  of  fire  which  would  be  more  than  a 
match  for  the  Syrian  hosts.     The  prayer  was  answered. 

This  young  student  of  Elisha 's  had  to  learn  some 
things  out  of  college,  like  many  others.  John  Brown  of 
Haddington  said  to  his  theological  class  one  day : 
' '  Young  men,  there  are  three  things  necessary  to  your  suc- 
cess as  ambassadors  of  Christ  :  one  is  grace,  which  the 
Lord  stands  ready  to  give  ;  the  second  is  knowledge,  which 

72 


THE  LORD'S  HORSES  AND    CHARIOTS  73 

I  will  do  my  best  to  give  ;  and  the  third  is  common  sense, 
which  if  you  do  not  have  neither  God  nor  man  can  help 
you."  The  j^oung  theological  student  of  Elisha's  was 
learning  what  would  be  of  great  use  to  him  in  after  years. 
His  eyes  were  perhaps  not  so  good  as  he  had  thought 
they  were.  There  is  an  optic  nerve  that  lies  dormant 
till  God  touches  it  and  thrills  it.  "We  see  through  a 
glass  darkly."  As  Hamlet  says,  "There  are  more 
things  in  heaven  and  earth  than  are  dreamt  of  in  our 
philosophy. ' '  After  this  the  young  man  could  never  be 
the  same. 
Notice  : 

I.  THAT  HE  HAD  A  NEW  CONCEPTION  OF  GOD 

Till  now  he  had  studied  the  science  of  God,  and  most 
likely  could  tell  a  good  deal  about  His  attributes.  So 
with  Moses,  till  he  saw  the  burning  bush.  He  said,  "  I 
will  turn  aside  and  inspedl  this  great  wonder. ' '  A  new 
experience  to  him. 

God  had  suddenly  appeared  at  Dothan  as  a  helper 
against  foes.  Peter  felt  the  grasp  of  a  helping  hand 
when  sinking  in  the  sea.  Doubting  Thomas  saw  the 
pierced  hand  which  helped  him  over  his  trouble.  Ste- 
phen saw  his  lyord  standing  at  the  right  hand  of  God, 
and  he  was  helped  to  bear  the  onslaughts  of  stony 
showers.  David  said  that  his  foes  were  like  bees  about 
him,  but  he  saw  them  perish.  He  recalled  an  event  in 
his  boj-hood  days  when  he  thoughtlessly  disturbed  a  hive 
of  bees  which  buzzed  about  him  and  stung  him,  con- 
temptibly small  and  irresistibly  pestilent. 

So  are  the  worries  of  life.  They  make  our  da5^s 
melancholy  and  our  nights  sleepless.  God  is  the  helper 
in  every  time  of  need. 


74  A    QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

II.   THAT  HE  HAD  A  NEW  APPREHENSION  OF 
HISTORY 

History  is  the  stately  stepping  of  the  Almighty  along 
the  ages.  Had  the  young  man  been  asked  about  the 
war,  he  probably  would  have  said  that  the  immediate 
persons  concerned  were  Jehoram  and  Benhadad.  But 
both  were  mere  puppets  in  the  hands  of  the  Omnipotent. 
God  is  present  in  national  affairs. 

Pharaoh  would  have  shut  up  Israel  between  the  moun- 
tains and  the  sea,  but  the  waters  became  as  crystal  walls 
on  either  side  and  the  way  of  escape  was  opened. 

Herod  would  have  slaughtered  all  the  male  babes  of 
the  Hebrews,  but  the  Christ-child  was  far  away. 

Philip  of  Spain  would  have  destroyed  Protestantism  by 
his  mighty  armada,  but  God  breathed  on  Philip's  fleet 
and  scattered  it  like  driftwood  on  a  hundred  shores. 

III.    THAT    HE    HAD    A  LARGER  VIEW    OF    THE 
WORLD 

Had  the  young  man  been  asked  the  dimensions  of  the 
world,  he  would  have  said  that  it  was  bounded  on  the 
north  by  Dan,  on  the  south  by  Beersheba,  on  the  east  by 
the  Euphrates,  and  on  the  west  by  the  great  sea. 

We  are  all  living  in  our  vicinage.  We  refuse  to  see 
anything  beyond  the  hill.  But  there  is  much  beyond. 
The  Pillar  of  Hercules  is  not  the  utmost  boundary. 

Upward  the  outlook  is  larger  still.  The  population 
there  is  larger  than  the  population  down  here.  There 
was  much  truth  in  old  Hesiod's  saying:  "Thrice  ten 
thousand  guardians  of  mortal  men  walk  the  broad,  life- 
feeding  earth  enwrapped  in  air;  they  scan  the  good  and 
evil  deeds  of  men." 


THE  LORD'S  HORSES  AND    CHARIOTS  75 

Milton  wrote : 

"  Millions  of  spiritual  creatures  walk  the  earth 
Unseen,  both  when  we  wake  and  when  we  sleep." 

Our  youth  when  in  the  school  of  the  prophets  proba- 
bly read  of  Jacob's  dream  of  the  ladder.  He  perhaps 
questioned  with  his  fellow  students  that  it  was  only  a 
dream,  and  that  they  were  not  real  angels  who  passed  up 
and  down.  To-day  he  understood.  But  he  saw  only  a 
detachment  of  the  myriads  of  angels  and  the  spirits  of  just 
men  made  perfe<5t. 

IV.   THAT  HE    SAW  THE    MORE    SERIOUS    SIDE  OF 

LIFE 

Immortality  was  now  a  fa(5t,  whatever  he  had  thought 
about  it  before.     Life,  too,  was  brief. 

The  present  life  is  to  be  measured  in  terms  of  eternity. 
It  is  but  the  opening  chapter  of  an  endless  serial,  the  vesti- 
bule of  an  infinite  temple,  the  steps  up  to  the  mansion. 

In  view  of  what  the  young  student  saw  that  day  it  is 
safe  to  say  that  he  would  look  forward  to  his  ministry  with 
new  plans  and  purposes.  He  learned  some  things  not  to 
be  found  in  books. 

When  the  saintly  McCheyne  lay  dying,  he  opened  his 
eyes  and  said  :  "  I  have  looked  into  eternity  !  Oh,  if  I 
could  come  back  now  and  preach  ! ' ' 

Oh,  for  open  eyes!  "Oh,  that  I  might  receive  my 
sight!" 

And  why  not  have  the  eyes  opened  now  ?  Is  there  any 
reason  why  they  should  not  be  opened  ?  And  any  reason 
why  not  now  ?  We  know  of  none.  But  we  do  know 
that  all  are  invited  to  the  same  Jesus  who  opened  the  eyes 
of  the  blind  in  the  days  of  His  flesh.  "  He  is  the  same 
yesterday,  to-day,  and  forever." 


XVII 
DON'T  WORRY 


Take  therefore  no  thought. 

— Matthew  vi  :  34. 


'T^  HIS   was  the  old  Anglo-Saxon  way   of  saying, 

*■    I        ' '  Take  no  anxious  thought. ' '     That  is,  be  not 
^ail       over  anxious. 

Luke  gives  us  the  paraphrase,  "  Neither  be 
ye  of  doubtful  mind. ' ' 

The  figure  is  that  of  a  ship  in  the  ofl&ng,  rolling  to 
and  fro. 

Our  religion  should  hold  us  steady — anchored — tak- 
ing hold  of  that  which  is  within  the  vail. 

Think  what  the  world  would  be  with  no  fret,  no  anx- 
iety, no  worry  !  Is  fretting  not  the  besetting  sin  of  the 
Americans?  Restless  eyes,  feverish  haste,  wrinkled 
brows,  quivering  nerv^es  are  all  too  common  among  us. 
We  are  like  a  train  at  full  speed,  stopping  only  to  take 
more  water  for  more  steam,  to  cool  off  hot-boxes  in  order 
to  make  greater  speed,  to  make  repairs  a/^er  the  accident. 
Of  course  we  have  premature  breakdowns,  nervous  de- 
bilit}^  insomnia 

Other    nations    are   faulty    too.        Thackeray    says : 

* '  When  I  was  a  boy  I  wanted  taffy.     It  cost  a  shilling 

and  I  hadn't  the  shilling.     Now  I  am  a  man  and  have 

the  shilling,  but  I  don't  want  the  taffy."     Thackeray 

76 


DON'T   WORRY  77 

was  still  longing,  however,  after  the  unattainable.  When 
a  boy  it  was  taffy,  when  a  man  it  was  fame. 

Our  lyord  suggests  a  remedy.  Go  into  the  fields  and 
look  at  the  liHes,  see  how  God  cares  for  everything  in 
nature.  He  offers  no  encouragement  to  improvidence. 
He  enjoins  foresight  and  industry.  "Go  to  the  ant, 
thou  sluggard;  consider  her  ways  and  be  wise."  Insure 
your  house  ;  it  may  burn  down.  Insure  your  life  ;  you 
may  die  and  leave  an  inheritance  of  poverty  and  distress. 
Get  ready  for  eternity  and  clear  up  your  accounts  with 
God;  for  that  is  the  most  serious  business  this  side  of 
eternity.  When  Paul  heard  the  footfall  of  the  execu- 
tioners at  the  door  of  his  dungeon  in  Rome,  he  said  :  "I 
am  ready." 

The  lilies  work  but  do  not  worry.  They  assimilate 
air,  sunshine,  moisture,  succulents  of  the  earth,  and  so 
prepare  to  bloom  in  the  proper  season.  They  fold  their 
leaves  when  the  storm  comes,  bow  their  heads  meekly 
until  the  clouds  roll  by.  Here's  the  lesson:  abide,  and 
rest  in  God. 

"Take  no  anxious  thought."  About  what?  Any- 
thing. Worry  hinders  success.  Whistle  at  your  work. 
An  old  negress  carries  a  burden  on  her  head  that  would 
bend  me  double.  The  secret  is  a  perfe(5t  poise.  Get  the 
burden  just  over  the  head,  above  the  conscience,  in  the 
zenith  of  the  heart — that  is,  the  precise  line  of  spiritual 
gravity  ;  then  there  will  be  no  difiSculty  in  bearing  it. 
Religion  is  strength. 

The  common  grounds  of  worry  are  seven  : 

I.   FOOD  AND  RAIMENT 

Men  and  women  hurrjdng  along  the  streets  mutter 
' '  food  and  raiment. ' '     These  are  the  weeds  that  choke 


78  A    QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

the  "Word.     They  vex,  hamper,  entangle  the  plow,  trip 
us  up  along  the  garden  path,  crowd  out  better  things, 
kill  the  fragrance  and  f ruitfulness  of  life. 
Christ's  argument  is  : 

1.  God  remembers  all. — Animal,  vegetable,  and  mineral 
kingdoms. 

2.  God  cares  especially  for  m.an. — Christ  makes  men- 
tion of  care  for  the  lower  orders  of  life,  and  from  that 
rises  to  the  higher  as  a  logical  sequence. 

3.  God  shows  the  uselessness  of  worry . — Not  the  fradtion 
of  an  inch  can  man  add  to  his  stature. 

4.  Worry  is  unchristian. — Faith  is  lacking  in  such  a 
case.  To  distrust  God  is  to  discredit  God.  He  says  : 
' '  Seek  first  the  Kingdom  of  God,  and  all  these  things 
shall  be  added  unto  you."  Most  people  seek  first  the 
things  of  this  life  and  God  afterward. 

II.   THINGS  THAT  CAN   NOT   BE  HELPED 

Such  as  irretrievable  losses  and  incurable  maladies. 

The  stoics  say,  "What  can't  be  cured  must  be  en- 
dured. ' '  Christian  philosophy  teaches  something  better: 
' '  All  things  work  together  for  good  to  them  that  love 
God."  "Our  light  afflidlion,  which  is  but  for  a  moment, 
worketh  for  us  a  far  more  exceeding  and  eternal  weight 
of  glory."  "Trust  in  the  Lord,  and  do  good;  so 
shalt  thou  dwell  in  the  land,  and  verily  thou  shalt  be 
fed." 

God  makes  no  mistakes.  If  we  groan  under  our  bur- 
dens, He  intended  us  to  be  patient.  A  caged  bird  gains 
nothing  by  breaking  its  wings  against  the  bars.  "  Bide 
a  wee  and  dinna  weary  "  is  a  wise  Scotch  sa3ang.  God 
knows  all  and  means  all  for  the  best,  just  as  in  Joseph's 
case.     I^uther  says :   "If   thou   hast  a  sorrow  beyond 


J 


DON'T    WORRY  79 

healing,  God  can  give  thee  a  sweet  physical  herb  called 
patientia  that  will  sustain  thee."  The  word  to  Paul 
was  :  *  *  My  grace  is  sufi6cient  for  thee. ' ' 

III.   THINGS  THAT   NEVER  HAPPEN 

Anticipating  trouble.  Plans  will  come  to  naught. 
The  flush  on  the  children's  faces  is  alarming.  Over- 
eager  creditors  and  tardy  debtors  give  us  the  heartache. 
The  next  eledtion  will  go  the  wrong  way.  Good  news 
is  too  good  to  be  true.  So  we  pile  it  up,  and  make  our- 
selves and  everybody  about  us  miserable.  Feelings  are 
fitful.  A  woman  w^as  reading  an  exciting  novel  when 
she  ought  to  have  been  attending  to  her  household  duties 
early  in  the  forenoon.  Her  minister  happened  in  and 
found  her  crying.  Seeing  that  he  was  embarrassed,  she 
explained  the  story  she  was  reading.  "  It  never  hap- 
pened," said  the  good  man,  and  she  saw  the  folly  of  her 
feelings  and  smiled  audibly. 

Perhaps  Adam  worried  when  he  saw  the  first  sunset. 
The  light  has  gone.  Will  it  never  come  again  ?  If  not, 
what  then?  But  next  morning  it  rose  again  and  he 
smiled  at  his  folly. 

So  God  is  continuously  putting  us  to  shame  in  the 
dawn  of  bright  mornings,  Life  has  real  sorrow  enough 
without  our  borrowing  more  that  never  comes.  ' '  Have 
faith  in  God." 

IV.    PERSONAL  SALVATION 

No  need  to  be  anxious  about  that.  The  way  is  per- 
fecflly  clear.  "He  that  believeth  on  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  shall  be  saved."  Is  there  anything  simpler? 
Anything  broader  ?  Anything  so  well  calculated  to  cover 
every  case  ?     If  we  accept,  we  have  done  our  part.     It 


80  A    QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

is  a  downright  insult  to  God  to  suppose  that  He  will 
not  do  His.  Is  there  anything  gained  by  worrying? 
On  the  contrary,  there  is  much  to  lose.  If  ever  in 
doubt,  the  way  out  of  the  difficulty  is  to  get  down 
on  bended  knee  and  make  a  complete  surrender.  Do 
this  as  often  as  needed,  just  as  medicine  is  taken  when 
needed. 

But  I  can  not  hold  out  !  Of  course  not.  Let  God  do 
the  holding.  He  has  a  firm  grip.  The  devil  will  have 
a  hard  task  to  get  a  penitent  sinner  out  of  His  hand. 
He  knows  that,  and  he  makes  it  his  business  to  worry 
him.  '  *  No  man  shall  pluck  you  out  of  my  hand. ' '  Paul, 
what  do  you  say  ?  "I  know  him  in  whom  I  have  be- 
lieved, and  am  persuaded  that  he  is  able  to  keep  that 
which  I  have  committed  unto  him  against  that  day. ' ' 

V.    PROGRESS  IN   THE  CHRISTIAN   LIFE 

This  also  is  God's  affair.     But  we  are  to  cooperate. 

We  are  to  grow.  A  marble  statue  can  not  grow,  be- 
cause it  lacks  the  life  principle.  A  branch  cut  from  the 
tree  dies  because  it  is  severed  from  the  life  current.  Life 
necessitates  growth.  We  do  not  grow  by  trying  to  grow, 
but  by  obeying  the  law  of  growth.  When  we  are  united 
to  Christ,  the  living  vine,  growth  is  a  certainty,  in  spite 
of  the  sense  of  shortcomings.  The  very  desire  to  be  bet- 
ter is  proof  of  it.  He  who  busies  himself  about  his  mas- 
ter's work  need  not  fret  about  the  deepening  of  his  spiritual 
life. 

The  life  principle  is  Faith.  That's  the  link  that  fast- 
ens us  to  Christ.  Gastric  fluid  is  a  wonderful  solvent. 
It  separates  and  dissolves  food,  so  that  the  body  appro- 
priates and  assimilates  it.  Thus  prepared,  food  is  put 
under  contribution  to  feed  the  blood  and  sinew  and  bone 


DON'T    WORRY  81 

and  marrow,  and  to  further  the  development  of  the  whole 
man.  So  Faith  makes  pain  and  pleasure,  bereavement 
and  joy,  success  and  disappointment,  work  together 
for  our  good.  This  is  the  spiritual  diet  God  prepares 
for  us. 

VI.   RESULT  OF  OUR  LABOR 

A  Sunday-school  teacher  said  recently,  "  I  have  taught 
for  thirty  years,  and  I  do  not  know  that  I  have  brought  a 
single  soul  to  Christ."  Pause  a  moment.  The  work  is 
God's.  "Paul  may  plant  and  Apollos  water,  but  God 
giveth  the  increase. ' '  When  duty  is  done  to  the  best  of 
one's  ability,  responsibility  ends  there.  Some  plow  and 
break  up  fallow  ground.  Adoniram  Judson  labored 
years  without  apparent  fruit.  Others  go  and  scatter 
seed  on  the  ground  already  prepared.  Rutherford  An- 
worth  bemoaned  his  ill  success.  Others  go  with  sickle 
in  hand  and  reap  a  harvest.  Such  are  the  Weslej^s  and 
Whitfields  and  Moodys.  But  ' '  He  that  soweth  and  he 
that  reapeth  shall  rejoice  together."  "My  word  shall 
not  return  unto  me  void." 

The  woman  of  Samaria  left  her  water-pot  at  the  well 
and  told  the  people  in  the  city  that  she  had  found  the 
Messiah.  That  was  her  work.  It  was  well  done,  and 
there  is  a  church  in  Samaria  to  this  day.  Philip  followed 
the  woman's  work  and  a  great  revival  broke  out,  so  that 
he  had  to  have  help.  John  and  Peter  came  and  reaped 
the  harvest.  Then  Philip  started  off  to  a  solitary  road 
and  had  an  audience  of  only  one.  But  that  one  was  con- 
verted and  took  the  Gospel  to  Ethiopia.  The  woman, 
the  evangelist,  and  the  two  apostles  rejoice  together. 

Be  of  good  cheer.  Many  a  farmer  plows  and  others 
reap.     But  what  matters  it  ?    Each  will  have  his  reward 


83  A    QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

in  the  long  run.     ' '  He  shall  doubtless  come  again  with 
rejoicing,  bringing  his  sheaves  with  him." 

VII.    CONVERSION  OF  THE   WORLD 

Blue  glasses  are  not  for  Christians,  I  attended  a  hu- 
manitarian congress  when  some  said  that  the  society  was 
going  to  the  bad.  For  a  secular  socialist  to  entertain 
such  a  view  is  a  lamentable  evidence  of  color  blindness. 
Gloom  may  arise  from  physical  disorders  or  the  over- 
turning of  personal  schemes.  We  are  like  a  colony  of 
crickets  when  the  plowshare  goes  through  the  hills. 
They  begin  to  chirp  that  the  world  is  coming  to  an  end. 
But  God  reigns,  and  all  things  are  going  on  right.  We 
may  vanish  from  sight,  but  the  world  will  roll  on  just  the 
same.  "  Lo!  I  am  with  you  alway,  even  unto  the  end  of 
the  world." 

Now,  what  is  the  conclusion  ?  Simply  take  God  at  His 
word.  He  sees  the  end  from  the  beginning,  if  we  do  not. 
In  the  court  of  the  prison  Jeremiah  wept.  The  Baby- 
lonians were  battering  down  the  city,  and  the  people  were 
being  carried  off  as  slaves.  Just  then  the  word  of  God  came 
to  Jeremiah:  "  Buy  the  field  that  is  at  Anathoth. "  The 
very  field  where  was  the  camp  of  the  Babylonians.  Who 
would  buy  that?  It  would  go  for  a  song.  But  the 
prophet  had  faith,  and  he  bought  it.  Then  God's  word 
came  to  him  again  :  ' '  Houses  and  fields  and  vineyards 
shall  be  possessed  again  in  this  land. ' '  Events  proved 
the  wisdom  of  the  investment. 

What  outlays  of  time  and  energy  we  should  be  making 
if  we  only  trusted  God  !  We  note  passing  errors,  and 
wonder  what  the  end  will  be.  Ground  now  occupied  by 
the  enemy  will  be  occupied  by  the  Church  of  God. 

Let  us  live  in  this  confidence.     Day  by  day  is  enough 


DON'T   WORRY  83 

at  a  time.  Say  that  a  desk  has  three  hundred  and  sixty- 
five  drawers.  Each  drawer  contains  instrudlion  for  each 
day.  To  open  them  all  at  once  would  produce  confusion, 
perplexity,  and  embarrassment.  In  the  morning  let  us 
open  the  appropriate  drawer,  receive  our  instrudtions,  and 
keep  the  rest  shut  till  the  time  comes.  Do  this  on  our 
knees,  and,  rising  in  strong  faith,  go  forth  to  meet  daily 
duties. 


XVIII 
THE   DELAYS   OF   PROVIDENCE 

The  I,ord  is  not  slack  concerning  his  promise,  as 
some  men  count  slackness;  but  is  long  suffering 
to  US-ward,  not  willing  that  any  should  perish, 
but  that  all  should  come  to  repentance. 

— II.  Peter  iii :  9. 

'T^Ihe  world  is  under  law.     That  suggests  a  Law- 

*•  J  giver.  There  are  rewards  and  punishments 
g^^p  as  a  sequence  of  obedience  or  disobedience. 
Even  the  Hindu  in  his  karma  believes  that. 

God  warns,  entreats,  condemns,  and — suspends  sen- 
tence.    Why  this  delay  ? 

There  was  delay  in  the  threat  of  the  destrudlion  of  the 
world  by  a  flood.  The  people  said  that  old  Noah  was  in 
his  dotage ;  because  he  built  a  ship  far  away  from  the  sea. 

It  was  so  in  the  case  of  the  Ninevites.  The  same 
thing  is  true  in  regard  to  the  Jewish  nation  in  its  rejec- 
tion of  Christ.  It  is  so  now.  The  world  is  full  of  sin- 
ners, but  God  bears  with  them  and  is  unwilling  that  they 
should  perish;  hence  the  delays  of  the  execution  of  vio- 
lated law. 

If  this  unpundlual  administration  of  affairs  be  not 
' '  slackness, ' '  what  is  it  ? 

I.  IT  IS  NOT  DUE  TO  IGNORANCE  ON  THE  PART 
OF  GOD 

When  the  Romans  saw  the  eyes  of  their  great  statue 
of  Jupiter  covered  with  spiders'  webs,  they  gave  them- 
84 


THE  DEL  A  YS  OF  PROVIDENCE  85 

selves  up  to  an  abandon  of  vice,  saying:  "  He  doth  not 
see,  neither  doth  he  regard." 

But  God  both  sees  and  regards.  He  notes  all  passing 
events.     He  needs  no  dete(5lives  nor  bloodhounds. 

It  is  not  because  He  is  ignorant  of  our  sins  that  retri- 
bution is  delayed. 

II.    IT  IS  NOT  BECAUSE  OF  INDIFFERENCE   ON  HIS 

PART 

The  school  of  Epicurus  said  :  '  *  The  God  we  worship 
is  a  large  God,  too  busy  with  the  affairs  of  universal 
government  to  heed  our  peccadillos.  He  presides  over 
the  splendid  feasts  of  Olympus.  He  wheels  the  worlds 
around  their  orbits.  We  are  little  people;  what  cares  he 
for  us  ?  " 

Not  so  with  our  God.  He  knows  what  sin  is — ^what  it 
has  done:  how  it  has  ruined  souls,  desolated  homes,  over- 
thrown governments,  depopulated  the  world,  and  peopled 
hell. 

III.    IT  IS  NOT  BECAUSE   HE  IS  IMPOTENT  TO 
PUNISH  SIN 

It  is  as  easy  for  Him  to  destroy  a  world  as  to  crush  an 
inse(5l. 

An  infidel  in  New  York  City  challenged  God  to  strike 
him  dead.  Why  did  not  God  do  it  ?  Because  a  man 
spared  is  a  more  impressive  proof  of  Divine  greatness 
than  a  man  slain. 

On  one  occasion,  however,  God  did  show  His  power, 
as  in  the  destrudlion  of  Korah  and  his  followers. 

I.  IT  IS   BECAUSE  HE   IS  LONG-SUFFERING 

He  can  afford  to  wait.  ' '  One  day  is  with  him  as  a 
thousand  years. ' '    He  never  loses  His  temper.   If  we  could 


86  A   QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

see  with  His  eyes  all  the  sin  and  shame,  the  vice  and 
uncleanness,  the  rebellion  and  blasphemy — if  all  the  roofs 
were  lifted  and  all  hearts  opened  before  us,  we  should  cry: 
"  Burn  up  the  world,  O  Lord,  because  they  defy  thy 
mercy  and  offend  against  thy  law. ' '  But  He  spares  till 
all  resources  are  exhausted.     His  patience  is  infinite. 

V.  HE    IS    NOT   WILLING    THAT    ANY   SHOULD 
PERISH 

He  knows  the  meaning  of  that  word  ^' perish  y  It  is 
the  wail  of  the  mother  at  the  death-bed  of  her  child. 
' '  Turn  ye,  turn  ye  ;  for  why  will  ye  die  ?  "  "  Him  that 
Cometh  unto  Me  I  will  in  no  wise  cast  out." 

VI.   HE   WANTS  ALL  TO   REPENT 

There  was  once  a  highwayman  along  the  "Bloody 
Way ' '  from  Jerusalem  to  Jericho  whom  God  saw  and 
yet  spared.  The  civil  authorities  knew  of  his  deeds  of 
violence,  murders,  and  robberies.  They  were  not  so 
"  slack."  They  arrested  the  bandit,  placed  him  on  trial, 
and  sentenced  him  to  death.  It  was  during  his  execu- 
tion that  the  long-suffering  of  God  was  manifested;  for  in 
the  throes  of  death  he  uttered  the  repentant  cry,  "  I/jrd, 
remember  me!  "     God  forgave  even  him. 

A  girl  left  her  home  and  abandoned  herself  to  a  life  of 
shame.  She  became  a  common  drab.  She  heard  a  voice 
in  the  streets  of  Capernaum  one  day,  and  Jesus  forgave 
her. 

A  lad  reared  in  the  rabbinical  schools  of  an  Asian  city 
became  fanatical.  He  went  to  Jerusalem,  joined  himself 
to  the  enemies  of  Christ,  and  made  havoc  of  the  churches. 
But  God  forgave  Saul  of  Tarsus. 

But  delays  are  only  for  a  time.     There  is  a  fearful 


THE  DELA  YS  OF  PRO  VIDENCE  87 

looking  for  of  judgment  to  the  finally  impenitent. 
' '  When  he  shall  whet  his  sword,  who  shall  stand  before 
him?" 

"  His  mills  grind  slow, 
But  they  grind  woe." 

God  delays  His  punishment  to  all  now  living.  Alex- 
ander besieged  a  city,  kindled  a  beacon  on  a  neighboring 
hilltop,  and  announced  that  all  who  surrendered  while  it 
burned  should  be  spared. 

The  beacon  of  God's  mercy  has  been  burning  long  for 
some  of  us.  Make  an  end  of  folly.  Come  and  be  saved. 
"  Now  is  the  accepted  time;  now  is  the  day  of  salvation." 


H 


XIX 

THE   SPIRIT   OF   THE  AGE 

And  in  the  midst  of  the  seven  candlesticks  one 
like  unto  the  Son  of  man,  clothed  with  a  gar- 
ment down  to  the  foot,  and  girt  about  the  paps 
with  a  golden  girdle. 

—Revelation  i :  13. 

ESOiD  tells  of  a  gradual  decadence  from  the  Golden 
through  the  Silver,  the  Brazen,  and  the  Heroic 
to  the  Iron  Age. 
Milton  sang : 

"  For  if  such  holy  song 
Enwrap  our  fancy  long, 
Time  will  run  back  and  fetch  the  Age  of  Gold." 

But  time  need  not  run  back,  for  the  Golden  Age  is  be- 
fore us : 

"  We  are  living,  we  are  dwelling 
In  a  grand  and  awful  time  ; 
In  an  age  on  ages  telling 
To  be  living  is  sublime." 

It  is  scarcely  a  hundred  years  since  the  days  of  primi- 
tive lamps,  which  the  Scotch  call  "crusies,"  almost 
identical  with  those  taken  from  Roman  tombs.  Leger,  of 
Paris,  invented  the  flat  wick  in  1783.  Then  came  illu- 
minating gas.  In  1 801  Sir  Walter  Scott  wrote  from  Lon- 
don to  a  friend  in  the  Highlands  of  experiments  in  gas 
illumination:  ' '  There  is  a  fool  here  who  is  trying  to  light 


THE  SPIRIT  OF   THE  AGE  89 

the   city   witli  smoke."      To-day   we   have  eledlricity, 
Jupiter  Tonans  holds  the  torch  for  us. 
A  similar  advance  is  made  in  civilization: 

I.   THIS  IS  THE   AGE   OF  REASON 

A  man  makes  his  protest  against  the  voice  of  the 
masses  or  against  the  powers  that  ought  not  to  be. 

Bancroft  says  :  ' '  The  most  stupendous  thought  that 
was  ever  conceived  by  man,  such  as  had  never  been  dared 
by  Socrates,  took  possession  of  Descartes  in  his  medita- 
tion on  a  November  night  by  the  banks  of  the  Danube. 
Conscious  of  his  own  freedom,  he  stood  over  against  tra- 
dition, all  received  opinion,  all  knowledge,  all  existence, 
except  his  own  mind,  thus  asserting  the  principle  of 
Individuality  as  the  keynote  of  all  coming  philosophy  and 
political  institutions. ' '  Every  man  his  own  philosopher. 
The  test  is  reason. 

1 .  There  is  a  protest  against  the  authority  of  civil  power 
over  heart  and  conscieyice. — Civil  authority  forbade  Peter 
and  John  to  preach  the  Gospel. 

2.  There  is  the  protest  against  the  authority  of  the 
Church. — lyUther  burned  the  pope's  bull. 

In  many  moral  movements,  however,  the  pendulum 
may  have  swung  too  far.     And  therefore  we  find  that 

3.  There  is  a  protest  against  the  authority  of  GocV s 
Word. — The  captain  of  a  vessel  may  be  excused  for  re- 
je(5ling  the  counsel  of  everj^  fisherman  who  undertakes  to 
instru(5l  him.  But  if  his  independence  leads  him  to  throw 
overboard  the  compass  and  chart,  he  shows  himself  to  be 
a  fool. 

Some  teachers  have  attempted  to  overthrow  the  iner- 
rancy of  Holy  Writ.  The  human  mind  must  have  author- 
ity to  rest  upon  ;  if  not  the  Bible,  then  the  pope. 


90  A  QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

Guizot  said  :  ' '  Reason  will  solve  all. ' '  But  he  found 
himself  in  a  whirlwind  of  perplexity  and  doubt.  In  after 
years  he  fled  to  the  authority  of  the  Holy  Scriptures. 

II.   THIS  IS  THE  AGE  OF   HUMANITY 

1.  The  Church  has  to  do  with  society. — The  home,  the 
public  school,  and  the  hospital  are  the  three  pillars  that 
uphold  the  social  fabric.  These  institutions  are  Chris- 
tian. Christ  went  down  to  the  halt  and  the  maimed  and 
the  blind.  He  taught  His  disciples  to  follow  in  His  foot- 
steps. 

2.  The  Church  has  to  do  zvith  the  body  politic. — "  Give 
me  the  penny,"  said  Jesus.  "Render  unto  Csesar  the 
things  that  are  Caesar's." 

It  would  be  well  if  preachers  and  all  good  people  would 
take  a  hand  in  cleansing  the  politics  of  New  York  City. 
There  can  be  no  better  instrument  for  this  purpose  than 
the  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ.     Use  it. 

Avoid  sentimental  sociology.  See  to  the  spiritual 
needs  of  the  community.  Reforms  will  necessarily  follow. 
Bethesda  is  not  the  central  fadl  of  Christianity,  but 
Calvary. 

The  Scotch  built  a  strong  chain  bridge.  A  Frenchman 
copied  from  it  and  built  a  similar  one  over  the  Seine,  but 
it  was  lighter  and  airier.  The  middle  bolt  was  omitted 
as  clumsy  and  unnecessary,  but  the  bridge  collapsed  on 
the  first  day  of  its  opening. 

The  middle  bolt  of  Christianity  is  Christ  Jesus. 

III.    THIS  IS  THE  AGE  OF  SPIRITUAL  DYNAMICS 

It  is  the  missionary  century. 

The  keynote  is  the  word  "go."  "  Go  ye  everywhere 
and  proclaim  the  Gospel."     William  Carey,  the  conse- 


THE   SPIRIT  OF  THE  AGE  91 

crated  cobbler,  David  Livingston,  the  diligent  weaver, 
and  others  obeyed  the  command,  and  to-day  the  good 
news  encircles  the  globe. 

These  heroes  and  heroines  did  not  go  alone.  Christ 
was  with  them.  That  is  the  secret  of  the  marvelous 
progress  of  the  Gospel  to-day.  Sir  Rivers  Thompson, 
the  Lieutenant-Governor  of  Bengal,  says:  "Christian 
missions  have  done  more  for  India  than  all  other  agencies 
combined." 

A  greater  century  has  dawned  upon  us  than  any  in  the 
past.  "I  hear  the  sound  of  conflidt  yonder,"  said  blind 
John  of  Bohemia  at  the  battle  of  Crecy.  He  was  old  and 
blind  and  wounded  unto  death.  His  French  troops 
wavered.  He  called  to  them  :  ' '  Gather  around  me  close; 
lead  me  on  so  far  that  I  may  swing  my  sword  once  more. ' ' 

The  moral  confii(ft  is  now  on.  Get  into  the  thick  of  it. 
Swing  the  sword  of  the  Spirit.  The  victory  is  nigh.  The 
bells  of  heaven  echo  back  the  Golden  Age  ! 


XX 

GLEANING 


Is  not  the  gleaning  of  the  grapes  of  Ephraim 
better  than  the  vintage  of  Abi-ezer  ? 

—Judges  viii :  2. 


/\  SINGUI.AR  battle  took  place  between  the  forces  of 
•*^,  the  Israelites  and  the  Midianites.  By  Divine 
^^^,  direcftion  the  army  of  General  Gideon  was  re- 
duced from  thirty-two  thousand  to  three  hun- 
dred, lest  they  should  ascribe  the  vidlory  to  their  own 
prowess  rather  than  to  God.  These  three  hundred  on  the 
hillside  were  to  meet  the  Midianites  occupying  the  val- 
ley beneath,  compared  to  grasshoppers  as  to  number. 
Each  man  was  provided  with  a  lamp,  a  pitcher,  and  a 
trumpet.  As  prearranged,  the  hostile  camp  was  surprised 
at  dead  of  night.  At  a  given  signal  the  lamps  flashed 
forth,  the  pitchers  were  brokeu,  the  trumpets  blared,  and 
a  mighty  united  shout  echoed  through  the  valley  :  ' '  The 
sword  of  the  Lord  and  of  Gideon  ! ' '  The  enemy,  sleeping 
in  their  tents,  awoke,  sprang  from  their  couches,  bewildered 
and  terrified  by  the  clangor  and  the  flashing  lights,  and  fled 
in  disorder.  The  three  hundred  in  hot  pursuit  inter- 
cepted the  fugitives  at  the  fords  of  Beth-bar  ah.  Heralds 
were  sent  to  Ephraim,  who  hastened  to  the  fray  and  cap- 
tured two  princes — Oreb  and  Zeeb. 

When  the  battle  was  over,  Ephraim,  always  captious 

and  overbearing,  demanded  of  Gideon  why  they  were  not 

sent   for   at   the  beginning.     Gideon    might    have   told 

them  that  they  were  cowards,  brave  enough  to  chase  a 

92 


GLEANING  93 

flying  foe,  but  not  to  be  trusted  in  high  places  on  the  field; 
that  they  were  proud,  envious,  and  insubordinate.  In- 
stead, Gideon,  wise  and  ta(5lful,  replied  :  "What  have  I 
done  in  comparison  with  you  ?  God  hath  delivered  unto 
your  hand  the  princes  of  Midian.  Is  not  the  gleaning  of 
the  grapes  of  Ephraim  better  than  the  vintage  of  Abi- 
ezer?"  So  Ephraim  was  conciliated.  "A  soft  answer 
turneth  away  wrath." 

Ours  is  a  Golden  Age,  Our  fathers  garnered  the  vin- 
tage with  strife  and  travail  and  garments  rolled  in  blood. 
We  gather  up  the  fruits  of  vidtory.  We  are  gleaning 
the  grapes. 

To  particularize : 

I.  THIS  IS  THE   AGE   OF  TRUTH 

I.  The  body  of  truth  is  larger  than  formerly. — Aristotle 
was  among  the  most  learned  of  the  ancients.  To-day, 
were  he  living,  he  might  find  difiiculty  in  passing  a  pre- 
liminary examination  for  admission  to  a  grammar-school. 

Each  generation  has  contributed  its  part  to  the  treas- 
ury of  knowledge.  One  settled  the  matter  of  the  earth's 
rotundity.  Another  gave  the  law  of  gravitation.  Another 
the  conservation  of  force.  One  gave  gunpowder,  another 
steam,  and  still  another  eledlricity.  One  argued  out  the 
do(5lrine  of  the  Incarnation,  another  the  personality  of 
the  Holy  Ghost,  and  still  another  Justification  by  Faith. 

These  are  postulates  upon  which  we  rear  a  superstruc- 
ture of  other  truth. 

To  be  sure,  there  are  people  still  who  insist  upon 
demonstrating  fundamental  fadls,  as  if  seamstresses 
should  insist  on  sewing  with  a  fish  bone,  or  farmers  on 
plowing  with  a  crooked  stick.  History  is  not  a  treadmill 
turning  round  and  round  and   going  nowhere.     It  is 


94  A    QUIVER  OF  ARROWS 

rather  the  King's  highway,  on  which  are  gathered  up  the 
achievements  of  those  who  have  gone  before, 

2.  There  is  a  truer  spirit  of  toleration. — Two  hundred 
and  fifty  years  ago  the  papal  council  required  Galileo  to 
get  down  upon  his  knees  and  say,  "  I  abjure,  curse,  and 
detest  the  heresy  of  the  motion  of  the  earth,  and  I  prom- 
ise to  teach  that  the  earth  is  the  center  of  the  universe 
and  an  immovable  body."  Arising,  he  muttered  between 
his  teeth,  "Nevertheless,  it  does  move."  Now  a  man 
may  hold  either  with  Galileo  or  with  John  Jasper,  of 
Richmond,  without  molestation. 

In  the  Continental  Congress  the  Hon.  John  Jay 
opposed  opening  the  sessions  with  prayer  because  there 
were  Quakers,  Presbyterians,  and  Anabaptists  on  the 
floor,  and  these  representatives  of  the  sedls  might  not 
listen  with  patience  to  the  prayer  of  one  not  of  their  par- 
ticular sedl.  The  vintage  of  Abi-ezer  and  the  gleaning  of 
the  grapes  of  Ephraim  are  the  same,  and  prayer  to-day 
is  revered  by  whomsoever  offered.  The  spirit  of  tolera- 
tion and  of  true  fellowship  exists  throughout  Christen- 
dom. 

3.  There  is  a  truer  orthodoxy . — Denominations  are  loyal 
to  the  old  landmarks.  If  j^ou  want  to  find  skepticism,  go 
back  to  the  time  of  the  apostles  who  fought  Arianism, 
Gnosticism,  Diocetism,  Ebionism,  Neoplatonism,  and 
countless  other  erratic  modes  of  faith.  Or  if  you  want  to 
find  heretics,  go  back  to  the  Middle  Ages,  when  the 
Bible  was  chained  to  the  monastery  pillars,  and  see  the 
wide-spread  revolt  against  the  absolutism  of  the  Church, 
when  bulls  and  decretals  were  enforced  by  scourge  and 
thumbscrews  and  fagot.  If  you  are  in  quest  of  heretics, 
go  back  to  the  Reformation  or  to  the  latter  half  of  the 
eighteenth    century,    the   time  of    Voltaire    and  Rous- 


GLEANING  95 

seau  and  the  French  encyclopedia,  the  time  of  Thomas 
Paine  and  the  Age  of  Reason.  Only  four  Christians 
were  found  in  Yale  College  when  the  first  Dwight  was 
inaugurated  president,  and  only  one  in  Bowdoin  at  the 
same  era.  Those  times  are  past.  The  old  creeds  were 
formulated  and  fought  for,  and  the  substance  of  them 
to-day  is  held  by  the  leading  denominations. 

II.  THIS  IS  THE   AGE  OF   MORALITY 

This,  in  the  larger  sense,  as  touching  all  the  relations  of 
man  with  his  fellow  men. 

1.  The  industrial  reform. — Strikes  were  not  possible  in 
the  days  of  ancient  Rome.  At  that  time  wealth  and 
power  belonged  to  ten  thousand  patricians.  Millions  of 
plebeians  and  slaves  had  neither  wages  nor  rights  accorded 
them. 

As  late  as  Charles  II.  a  popular  ballad  was  written,  set- 
ting forth  the  complaint  of  weavers  who,  receiving  six- 
pence a  day,  pleaded  for  a  shilling.  It  is  not  ballads 
now  but  ballots  that  tell.  Capital  and  labor,  employer 
and  employee  have  reached  the  fighting  level,  not  for  a 
shilling  a  day,  but  ten  times  that  amount.  Robert  Burns 
voiced  public  sentiment  and  reform  when  he  sang: 

"When  man  to  man,  the  warld  o'er, 
Shall  brothers  be  for  a'  that." 

2.  77;^?  temperance  reform. — In  the  American  Congress 
of  1789  a  duty  was  placed  upon  glass,  but  black  quart  bot- 
tles were  admitted  free!  In  1808  a  temperance  society 
was  organized.  The  member  who  should  drink  gin, 
whisky,  or  rum  should  be  fined  twenty-five  cents.  The 
member  who  should  get  drunk  should  be  fined  fifty  cents 
for  each  offense.      We  have   traveled  a  great  distance 


96  A    QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

since  then.  It  is  total  abstinence  now  for  the  individual 
and  prohibition  for  society.  Thanks  to  the  fathers  for 
this.     We  are  gleaning  the  grapes. 

3.  Political  reform. — King  William  III.  publicly  an- 
nounces: "Under  the  existing  order  of  things,  to  refuse 
the  common  pracftise  would  endanger  the  crown."  He 
meant  bribery.  This  was  worse  than  the  notorious  cor- 
ruption of  Manhattan.  But  the  stirring  up  of  things  and 
the  change  of  municipal  officers  are  favorable  signs.  The 
sword  of  the  lyord  and  of  Gideon  conquered,  so  God  and 
the  people  are  controlling  things. 

4.  Sociological  problems. — Subjects  relating  to  home 
and  society,  the  care  of  the  poor,  the  aged,  and  all  iu- 
capables  are  being  discussed. 

In  Christ's  time  the  best  hospital  Jerusalem  could  offer 
was  the  place  by  the  sheep-market,  at  the  edge  of  a  pool, 
where  cripples  sat  watching  for  the  movement  of  the 
waters.  The  best  sanitarium  for  the  insane  in  the  land 
of  the  Gadarenes  was  among  the  tombs.  The  best  asylum 
for  the  poor  was  a  seat  at  the  entrance  of  the  Temple. 
To-day  asylums,  hospitals,  and  sanitariums  abound 
everywhere. 

5.  Personal  character. — Vices  once  fashionable  are  dis- 
reputable now ;  betting,  horse-racing,  duelling.  Sabbath 
desecration,  marital  infidelity,  are  under  the  ban.  The 
Decalog  and  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount  have  found  their 
way  into  society  and  influence  personal  charadler.  This 
is  a  tribute  paid  to  the  ethics  of  Christianity. 

III.   THIS  IS   THE   AGE   OF  MORAL  ENERGY 

The  word  ' '  adlivity  ' '  expresses  the  spirit  of  the  times. 

I.   Good  people  once  concerned  themselves  only  with  their 

personal  salvation. — The  chief  end  of  man  was  to  escape 


GLEANING  97 

the  unquenchable  fire,  to  read  one's  title  clear  to  man- 
sions in  the  skies,  to  take  care  of  number  one, 

2.  Good  people  at  another  time  took  a  step  in  advance  and 
expended  their  energies  07i  the  preservation  of  the  Church. — 
That  was  the  time  of  the  crusades  and  the  eredlion  of 
magnificent  cathedrals.  But  it  was  also  the  time  of  the 
Inquisition,  the  rack,  the  guillotine,  and  the  fagot. 

3.  Good  people  have  advanced  still  further,  and  now  the 
Kingdovi,  as  such,  is  advocated. — We  call  it  the  missionary- 
age.  "The  world  for  Christ"  is  the  watchword. 
Christianity  is  no  longer  provincial  but  cosmopolitan. 
The  era  of  exploration  was  followed  by  the  era  of 
colonization  and  that  by  the  era  of  evangelization.  The 
Chinese  wall  has  fallen.  The  world  is  open  for  entrance 
to  the  King  of  Kings.     Vidlory  is  a  foregone  conclusion. 

Let  us  fall  in  with  Ephraim  for  the  last  gleaning.  It 
is  said  that  the  battle  of  Gettysburg  was  notable,  in  that 
all  the  troops  on  both  sides  were  engaged  in  it.  Even 
old  John  Burns  was  there  with  his  flintlock.  The  last 
battle  of  God's  great  crusade  is  for  us  all,  and  the  glory 
of  the  last  vidlory  also. 

Great  privilege  and  responsibility  have  come  to  us  in 
these  last  days. 

Shall  we  glean  ? 


TOPICAL    SERMONS 


XXI 

CHARACTER   BUILDING 

For  other  foundation  can  no  man  lay  than  that 
is  laid,  which  is  Jesus  Christ.  Now  if  any  man 
build  upon  this  foundation  gold,  silver,  precious 
stones,  wood,  hay,  stubble  ;  every  man's  work 
shall  be  made  manifest :  for  the  day  shall  de- 
clare it,  because  it  shall  be  revealed  by  fire  ;  and 
the  fire  shall  try  every  man's  work  of  what  sort 

it  is. 

—I.  Corinthians  iii :  11-13. 


COLLEGE  student  writes  to  his  mother  : 

' '  I  want  your  advice  on  the  comprehensive 
subjedl  of  chara(5ter  building.  I  wish  mine  to 
be  built  right,  but  I  fear  I  do  not  know  how  to  go 
about  it.  It  is  not  enough  to  avoid  putting  in  poor  material  ; 
the  edifice  can  not  rise  rapidly  or  well  unless  good  material 
is  put  in.  And  I  don't  know  what  quarries  to  visit  in 
search  of  this,  nor,  more  important  still,  how  to  get  it 
from  the  quarries  and  apply  it  to  my  needs.  Perhaps  it 
is  because  my  needs  are  as  yet  rather  vague  and  unde- 
fined, for  I  have  never  thought  much  on  this  matter  till 
recently.     What  shall  I  do  ?     Where  shall  I  go  ?  " 

This  young  man,  like  the  young  ruler  who  asked  a 
similar  question  of  Jesus,  is  not  far  from  the  Kingdom. 
The  world  is  so  full  of  young  men  who  drift  like  thistle- 
down, that  one  who  seeks  a  true  course  in  life  is  worthy 
of  commendation,  and  his  inquiry  is  deserving  of  the 
gravest  consideration. 

101 


102  A   QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

I.   LIFE  IS  STRUCTURAL 

Each  one  of  us  is  building  a  house  to  dwell  in — to  dwell 
in  forever.  Build  well.  Character  is  the  enduring  thing. 
Said  Emperor  Augustus  to  Piso,  who  was  rearing  a 
splendid  edifice  of  marble  :  "  Thou  delightest  my  heart, 
for  thou  art  building  as  if  Rome  were  eternal."  We 
build  for  eternity,  for  weal  or  woe,  a  thatched  hut,  fit 
only  for  bats  and  vermin  to  revel  in,  or  a  sandtuarj^  that 
shall  resound  with  hallelujahs. 

Paul  is  writing  to  the  Corinthians.  Corinth  was  a  city 
of  contrasts — wealth  and  poverty.  The  poor  lived  in 
straw  huts  and  hovels,  the  rich  in  palaces.  There  was 
the  Palace  of  the  Proconsul,  the  Posidonium,  or  Temple 
of  Neptune,  and  the  magnificent  theater  for  the  isthmian 
games.  Corinth  would  appreciate  Paul's  architedtural 
figure. 

II.    LET  US  BUILD  WELL  THE  FOUNDATION 

Make  no  mistake.  What  are  we  building  upon  ?  Christ 
tells  of  two  shepherds  who  sought  a  suitable  place  to 
build  their  huts  upon. 

One  built  by  the  riverside,  where  the  herbage  was 
green  and  easy  of  access. 

The  other  built  on  a  shelf  of  rock  farther  up.  The 
building  material  must  be  carried  up  the  weary  path.  It 
would  be  inconvenient  also  to  enfold  the  flock  up  there 
every  evening. 

But  the  stormy  season  came  on.  The  house  by  the 
riverside  was  swept  away.     The  house  on  the  rock  stood. 

It  does  make  a  difference  what  and  where  we  build. 

The  foundation  is  already  laid  for  us.  "  Other  founda- 
tions can  no  man  lay  than  that  is  laid,  which  is  Jesus 
Christ." 


\ 


CHARACTER  BUILDING  103 

To  build  on  Christ  is  not  merely  to  give  an  intellectual 
asse7it  to  His  teachings.  The  learned  Grotius,  who  had 
taught  theology  all  his  life,  lamented  at  last  that  it  had 
taken  no  vital  grip  on  his  heart. 

Nor  to  receive  Christ  sentimentally.  Rhapsody  is  shal- 
low and  volatile. 

Nor  to  be  merely  a  member  of  the  Church.  "Lord, 
lyord,  open  unto  us.  We  have  cast  out  devils  in  th}^ 
name,  and  in  thy  name  done  many  wonderful  works." 
But  Christ  will  say,  ' '  I  never  knew  you  :  depart  from 
me,  ye  that  work  iniquity." 

Our  lives  must  be  like  Christ's.  His  will,  His  work 
must  be  our  will  and  work.  His  people  our  people.  His 
word  our  word — Christ  first,  last,  and  all  the  way 
between. 

1.  Christ  is  our  Prophet. — That  is,  our  authoritative 
teacher.  Philosophical  schools  are  of  authority  only  so 
far  as  they  teach  what  Christ  taught.  ' '  This  is  my 
beloved  Son  :  hear  Him. ' ' 

Christ  taught  no  second  probation.  He  made  no  mis- 
takes. If  there  were  mistakes  in  the  original  Scriptures 
and  He  did  not  know  them,  He  was  not  wise  enough  to 
be  a  prophet  for  us.     His  word  is  final. 

2.  Christ  is  our  Priest. — He  alone  is  competent  to  make 
an  atonement  for  us.     He  bore  our  sins  on  the  cross. 

3.  Christ  is  07ir  King. — He  is  a  savior  with  a  scepter. 
He  demands  obedience.     He  has  a  property  right  in  us. 

No  other  ever  incorporated  in  himself  these  three  su- 
preme elements — the  Prophet,  the  Priest,  and  the  King. 

III.    LET  US  BUILD  WELL  THE  SUPERSTRUCTURE 

The  superstrudlure  is  charadter.  "  But  let  every  man 
take  heed  how  he  buildeth  thereupon  ;  for  if  any  shall 


104  A    QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

build  upon  this  foundation,  gold,  silver,  precious  stones, 
wood,  hay,  stubble ;  every  man's  work  shall  be  made 
manifest :  for  the  day  shall  declare  it,  because  it  shall  be 
revealed  by  fire."  Paul  here  probably  referred  to  the 
conflagration  of  Mummius,  which  consumed  a  large  part 
of  Corinth,  B.C.  146.  The  marble  homes  and  palaces 
were  unharmed,  but  the  straw-thatched  huts  were  utterly 
swept  away.  The  poor  tenants  were  saved,  but  they 
wept  over  the  loss  of  their  all.  So  Paul  utters  the  warn- 
ing of  the  text. 

What  makes  up  charadler  ? 

1 .  Creed. — Archimedes  said  that  he  could  lift  the  world 
if  he  had  a  place  for  the  fulcrum  of  his  lever.  A  man's 
creed  is  the  point  of  his  leverage.  Power  is  measured  by 
faith. 

The  potter  Palissy  believed  in  white  enamel,  and  spent 
his  life  to  produce  it.  Peter  the  Hermit  believed  in 
the  rescue  of  the  Holy  Sepulcher,  and  roused  all  Chris- 
tendom to  accomplish  it.  Alexander  T.  Stewart  believed 
in  gold  as  the  principal  thing,  and  died  in  possession  of 
abundance  of  it.  Columbus  believed  in  the  Indies  of  the 
West,  and  found  San  Salvador.  Carey  believed  in  India 
for  Christ,  and  began  a  great  missionary  propaganda.  A 
man  without  a  creed  is  a  do-naught.  ' '  As  a  man  think- 
eth  in  his  heart,  so  is  he. ' ' 

2.  A  consistent  life. — A  creed  must  be  worked  out  in 
walk  and  conversation.  Piety  tells  the  truth,  pays  its 
debts,  gives  full  weight  and  measure,  votes  for  upright 
candidates,  conserves  the  peace  of  home  and  neighbor- 
hood, fears  to  do  evil  and  loves  to  do  well. 

When  the  cynic  Diogenes  learned  that  a  fellow  philos- 
opher of  unsavory  character  was  engaged  on  an  elaborate 
system  of  truth,  he  dryly  remarked:  "So!  and  when 


CHARACTER  BUILDING  105 

will  he  begin  to  pradlise  it  ?  "  A  wiser  than  he  said  : 
"  Ye  are  the  salt  of  the  earth  :  but  if  the  salt  have  lost 
his  savor  .  .  .  it  is  thenceforth  good  for  nothing,  but 
to  be  cast  out,  arid  to  be  trodden  under  foot  of  men." 

3.  Cooperation  with  God. — The  edifice  is  a  roofless 
thing  without  God.  To  spend  energy  in  forming  a 
creed  and  cultivating  personal  graces  is  to  live  a  selfish 
life. 

A  ship  recently  went  down  off  this  coast  and  many 
passengers  were  drowned.  The  captain  wearing  two 
life-preservers  was  dragged  on  board  a  fishing-boat  more 
dead  than  alive.  On  recovering,  he  said:  "  Where  are 
my  wife  and  children  ?  "  He  should  have  thought  of 
them  before.  If  he  had  been  a  man  he  would  have 
buckled  the  life-presenters  on  them  and  relied  on  his  un- 
aided strength  to  save  himself.  He  had  the  form  of  a 
creed  on  his  lips — "  I  love  my  wife  and  children  " — but 
not  its  substance  in  his  heart. 

We  find  God  working  everywhere,  and  He  urges  us  to 
fall  into  line  and  do  something  for  the  salvation  of  the 
world.  Jesus  said  that  the  harvest  was  ready  for  the 
sickle,  yet  there  were  idlers  all  about  who  could  handle 
the  sickle  and  reap  the  harvest. 

How  is  it  now  ? 

But  can  a  man  be  saved  without  charadler  ?  Yes,  * '  so 
as  by  fire,"  says  Paul.  No  sight  is  more  pitiable  to 
angels  than  to  see  idlers,  the  empty  handed,  squeezing 
through  the  gates  into  heaven. 


XXII 

SEVEN  WONDERS 

Be  astonished,  O  ye  heavens,  at  this. 

—Jeremiah  ii :  12. 


^^    URiosiTY   is  a  racial  trait.     The  Athenians  ever 

^^  ■  sought  for  something  new.  The  Jews  clam- 
aoi^l  ored  for  a  sign.  A  dime  museum  attra(5ts 
more  than  a  university  course  of  le(5tures. 

The  ancients  spoke  to  their  children  of  seven  wonders: 
The  Pyramids;  Diana  of  the  Ephesian  Temple;  Jupiter 
at  Olympia;  the  Tomb  of  Mausolus  (none  know  of  him 
except  from  the  monument  to  which  he  has  given  his 
name);  the  Colossus  at  Rhodes;  the  Pharos  (or  light- 
house) at  Alexandria;  the  Hanging  Gardens  of  Babylon. 

But  other  wonders  have  taken  the  place  of  these  :  the 
steam  engine;  the  sewing-machine;  the  phonograph;  the 
Statue  of  Liberty;  wireless  telegraphy;  the  submarine 
cable;  Central  Park,  with  marvels  of  landscape  gardening 
beyond  what  the  ancients  knew. 

But  we  have  to  do  for  the  moment  with  the  wonders  in 
the  spiritual  realm  : 

I.    FIRST  WONDER— AN   UNCLAIMED   CROWN 

The  man  whom  God  made  in  His  own  image  is  of 
royal  line — king's  blood  is  in  his  veins. 

He  is  a  rational  being — he  can  ponder  upon  the  great 
questions  of  the  spiritual  life. 

He  is  immortal — destined  to  live  forever. 

The  man  to  whom  God  extends  this  crown  is  chasing 

106 


I 


SEVEN   WONDERS  107 

butterflies,  pursuing  thistle-down.  He  calls  this  pleasure. 
He  toils  with  the  muck-rake,  plucking  coins  from  gar- 
bage which  he  calls  wealth.  He  climbs  the  rocky  cliff, 
carves  his  name  there,  falls,  and  says  it  is  fame  !  God 
extends  to  him  the  crown,  but  he  pays  no  heed  to  it. 
"Be  astonished,  O  heavens,  at  this." 

II.   SECOND  WONDER— SECRET  SIN 

This  touches  the  lowest  part  of  our  nature.  A  dog 
with  a  bone  sneaks  off  to  a  nook  in  the  garden  and 
looks  out  of  the  corner  of  his  eyes  that  none  may  know 
his  secret.  So  we  bury  our  secret  sins  and  flatter  our- 
selves that  none  shall  find  us  out.     Indeed! 

Four  thousand  j^ears  ago  an  Egyptian  princess  died, 
and  her  body  was  committed  to  a  company  of  priests  to 
embalm  with  costly  spices.  They  said  :  ' '  Let  us  save 
ourselves  the  trouble  ;  it  v/ill  never  be  known. ' '  So  they 
dipped  the  body  of  a  common  Egyptian  into  bitumen,  and 
placed  it  in  the  princess'  casket.  Some  scientists  at  Tre- 
mont  Temple,  after  forty  centuries,  found  out  the  trick 
when  they  unwound  the  bands.  ' '  Be  sure  thy  sins  will 
find  thee  out. ' '  A  justly  indignant  God  sees  all.  Friends 
laugh,  but  angels  weep. 

III.    THIRD   WONDER— A   REPROBATE'S     LAUGH 

From  a  maiden  riding  in  a  carriage  with  a  companion 
whose  hardened,  dissolute  face  betrayed  her  vocation  there 
rang  out  a  merry  laugh.  The  sweet-faced  girl,  late  from 
some  country  home,  was  going  garlanded  to  death.  She 
was  hurrying  to  the  judgment  bar  unprepared,  and  that, 
too,  with  a  merry  laugh.  She  is  not  the  only  one.  Dice 
rattle  in  upper  rooms.     Revellers  stagger  in  the  streets. 


108  A    QUIVER   OF  ARROWS       ■ 

Ribald  laughter  pierces  your  ear  and  pains  your  heart. 
Is  this  a  species  of  insanity  ? 

An  asylum  is  afire.  A  wretched  creature  sits  aloft, 
watching  the  blazing  rafters,  tossing  his  hands,  and 
shrieking  in  glee.  It  is  the  maddest,  merriest  moment  of 
his  life.  The  walls  sway,  creak,  and  fall  in  a  mass  of 
ruins.  This  is  a  parable  of  the  false  revelry  of  the 
wicked.     "  Be  astonished,  O  ye  heavens,  at  this." 

IV.    FOURTH   WONDER— A  CHRISTIAN'S  GROAN 

The  Christian  is  forgiven.  His  past  is  all  gone  like  a 
nightmare.  Christ  walks  by  his  side  as  a  friend.  All 
heavenly  graces  and  helps  are  his.  Yet  we  hear  him 
groan — one  of  the  seven  wonders  !  Something  is  wrong. 
He  should  be  like  the  cripple  whom  Peter  healed  at  the 
Gate  Beautiful,  who,  walking  and  leaping,  praised  God. 

One  night  in  Newgate  Prison  a  man  sang  cheerily  and 
swung  like  a  boy  on  the  post  of  his  bed.  ' '  Fine 
shining  shall  we  have  on  the  morrow. ' '  This  was  John 
Bradford,  and  on  the  morrow  he  was  to  die  at  the  stake. 
But  what  matter  if  the  day  after  he  shall  be  in  the  midst 
of  the  merrymaking  in  heaven  ?  Why  should  John 
Bradford  not  rejoice?  The  Christian's  joy  should  be 
like  the  joy  of  the  springtime,  the  singing  of  birds  ;  like 
the  rejoicing  over  new-found  treasure,  the  dividing  of 
the  spoils.  He  must  be  light-hearted.  It  is  natural. 
To  groan  is  unnatural  and  wrong. 

V.   FIFTH   WONDER— A  TATTERED   LIVERY 

A  man  appeared  at  a  marriage  feast  without  the  cus- 
tomary wedding  garment.  When  questioned  he  was 
silent.  He  could  not  remain  in  his  own  garment,  how- 
ever fine  it  might  be  in  his  own  opinion.     He  was  not 


SEVEN   WONDERS  109 

merely  ordered  away;  proper  persons  threw  him  ruth- 
lessly into  outer  darkness.  That  was  where  he  be- 
longed ;  his  inexcusable  condudl  merited  that  treatment. 
We  are  going  to  the  marriage-supper  of  the  Lamb.  Suit- 
able raiment  is  provided  for  us.  Shall  we  insult  the  Host 
by  appearing  in  the  rags  of  our  own  righteousness  ?  Would 
it  not  have  been  a  gross  insult  to  King  Edward  to  appear  at 
his  coronation  in  unsuitable  garb  ?  It  is  much  more  so  to 
appear  before  the  King  of  Kings  without  the  garment  of 
righteousness  which  He  has  prepared  at  infinite  pains  and 
at  a  cost  beyond  all  computation.  Our  own  poor  virtues 
can  not  entitle  us  to  recognition  at  the  court  of  Heaven. 
Devotional  pomp  and  ceremony,  baptismal  water  or  sacra- 
mental element  can  not  prevail  us  anything.  To  trust  in 
them  will  simply  doom  us  to  disappointment. 

"  Jesus,  Thy  blood  and  righteousness 
My  beauty  are,  my  glorious  dress  ; 
'Midst  flaming  worlds,  in  these  arrayed, 
With  joy  shall  I  lift  up  my  head." 

VI.   SIXTH  WONDER— AN  AVERTED    FACE 

It  is  strange  that  men  look  upon  anguish  with  calm 
delight.  Twenty  thousand  people  tramped  miles  to  a 
town  in  a  neighboring  state  to  witness  a  hanging. 

When  the  iron  entered  the  soul  of  Jesus  on  the  cross, 
' '  the  people  stood  beholding ' '  without  any  responsive 
thrill  of  sympathy.  It  is  stranger  still  that  so  many  of 
us  refuse  to  look  upon  Him  as  our  Savior  and  Friend, 
when  we  know  so  well  that  ' '  He  was  wounded  for  our 
transgressions  and  bruised  for  our  iniquities. ' '  We  hide 
our  faces  from  Him;  He  is  despised,  and  we  esteem  Him 
not.  He  offers  help  in  life's  burden,  as  well  as  pardon, 
peace,  and  heaven.     Avert  not  the  face. 


110  A    QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

VII.   SEVENTH  WONDER— A  WAITING  GOD 

"  Behold,  I  stand  at  the  door,  and  knock  :  if  any  man 
hear  my  voice,  and  open  the  door,  I  will  come  in  to  him, 
and  will  sup  with  him,  and  he  with  me."  Wonderful 
patience!  Love  that  passeth  knowledge!  Let  us  draw 
the  bolts  and  let  Him  in. 

"  Knocking,  knocking,  who  is  there? 

Waiting,  waiting,  oh  how  fair! 
'Tis  a  pilgrim,  strange  and  kingly, 

Never  such  was  seen  before. 
Ah,  my  soul,  for  such  a  wonder 

Wilt  thou  not  undo  the  door?" 

We  have  kept  Him  outside  our  closed  doors  for  many 
years,  and  still  He  waits. 

When  we  were  children,  mother  told  us  about  the 
waiting  Jesus.  We  promised  to  let  Him  in,  but  broke 
the  promise.  Years  passed  by,  still  He  waits.  We  said, 
' '  To-morrow. ' '  Has  ' '  to-morrow  ' '  come  ?  To-morrow 
never  comes  in  the  spiritual  sense.  ' '  Now ' '  is  here. 
' '  Now ' '  is  urgent.     ' '  Now  is  the  accepted  time. ' ' 

A  more  pitiable  sight  is  seldom  seen  than  the  bent 
form,  the  gray  head,  the  tottering  step,  with  a  heart 
hard  as  adamant  and  a  will  set  against  Christ.  *  *  Be 
astonished,  ye  heavens,  at  this. ' ' 

"  Knocking,  knocking,  what,  still  there? 

Waiting,  waiting,  grand  and  fair  ; 
Yes,  the  pierced  hand  still  knocketh, 

And  beneath  the  crowned  hair 
Beam  the  patient  eyes  so  tender 

Of  thy  Savior  waiting  there." 


XXIII 

SHALL  WE    KNOW   EACH    OTHER   IN 
HEAVEN  ? 

But  I  would  not  have  you  to  be  ignorant,  breth- 
ren, concerning  them  which  are  asleep,  that  ye 
sorrow  not,  even  as  others  which  have  no  hope. 
—I.  Thessalonians  iv :  13. 


^T*  AKiNG  for  granted  that  there  is  a  heaven,  one  of 
*-    I        the  thoughts  that  charm  us  is  that  we  may 
Sfc^^J      meet  those  there  whom  we   have  loved  and 
lost. 
Can  we  be  assured  that  there  is  a  certainty  about  this  ? 
Are  there  evidences  that  can  be  relied  upon  ?     What  wit- 
nesses have  we  ? 

I.   THE   HEART 

The  individual  heart  may  throb  uncertainly,  but  the 
heart  of  the  race  never. 

All  races  have  held  the  dodlrine  : 

1.  The  Greeks. — Socrates,  with  the  poisoned  cup  at  his 
lips,  said:  "  If  the  common  expression  be  true  that  death 
conveys  us  to  the  place  of  departed  men,  with  delight  I 
drink  this  hemlock,  for  it  sends  my  spirit  to  commune 
with  Ajax  and  Palamedes." 

2.  The  Romayis. — The  hero  of  the  ^neid,  going  out 
into  the  unseen  world,  was  greeted  by  his  former  com- 
panions : 

"  The  gladsome  ghosts  in  circling  troops  attend 
And  with  unwearied  eyes  behold  their  friend." 

3.  The  Egyptians. — The  Egyptians  filled  the  hands  of 
their  dead  children  with  trinkets  and  toys,  and  inscribed 

111 


112  A    QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

Upon  the  byssus  bands  the  hope  of  an  awakening  on  the 
morrow. 

4.  The  Hindus. — In  the  institution  of  the  suttee,  as  the 
widow  ascends  the  funeral  pyre  she  unbinds  her  hair  and' 
makes  her  last  invocation  to  Brahma:  "  Oh,  that  I  might 
enjoy  with  my  husband  as  manj^  joyful  years  in  the 
better  world  as  there  are  hairs  in  these  flowing  braids  ! ' ' 

5.  The  Ainerican  Indians. — In  their  funeral  ceremonies 
they  have  some  such  custom  as  the  Egyptians;  for  they 
bury  their  dead  with  the  bow  and  arrow,  in  hope  of  a 
happy  hunting-ground  beyond. 

And  the  poets  and  seers  of  all  ages  have  held  to  the 
belief  of  recognition  after  death  : 

"  Somewhere  in  desolate,  wind-swept  space, 

In  twilight  land,  in  no  man's  land, 
Two  hurrying  shapes  met  face  to  face 

And  bade  each  other  stand. 
And,   'Who  are  you?'  cried  one  agape, 

Shuddering  in  the  gloaming  light. 
'  I  do  not  know,'  said  the  second  shape, 

'I  only  died  last  night.'" 

Thus  the  race  testifies  to  the  home-bringing.  The 
heart  brooks  no  denial.  It  insists  on  the  recognition  of 
friends  in  heaven. 

II.   THE  REASON 

Reason  is  more  than  mere  sentiment.  It  receives  any 
dodlrine  that  commends  itself  to  our  judgment.  What  is 
the  intelledtual  consensus  ? 

I.  Immortality. — We  receive  this  dodlrine  as  an  intu- 
ition. It  is  one  of  those  universal  truths  which  assert 
themselves  as  axioms.  It  is  interwoven  with  the  mental 
constitution  of  the  race.  Do  you  ask,  "  If  a  man  die 
shall  he  live  again  ? ' '     Listen  !    Your  whole  being  calls 


SHALL  WE  KNOW  EACH  OTHER  IN  HE  A  VEN?  113 

back,  "  I  shall  live  and  not  die."  We  take  the  truth  of 
immortality  as  a  postulate,  a  starting-point  from  which 
we  pass  on  to  other  evidences,  whether  those  of  analogy 
or  Scripture. 

2.  Identity. — This  follows  immortality  as  a  necessary 
sequence.  Self-consciousness  is  not  impaired  by  death. 
What  is  death  ?  "A  covered  bridge  leading  from  light 
to  light  through  a  brief  darkness."  A  mighty  arch 
sprung  over  the  pathway  of  our  life  with  brazen  gates, 
which  roll  back  to  admit  the  passing  soul,  and  close  again. 
The  friends  stand  weeping  and  vainly  gazing.  The  loved 
one  has  gone  through  and  continues  the  journey.  His 
identity  remains  unchanged.  No  Nirvana  awaits  us.  No 
"  sinking  into  the  pantheistic  Soul,  as  the  drop  of  water 
is  lost  in  the  fathomless  sea."     We  shall  live  right  on. 

3.  Memory. — There  is  no  Lethe  between  this  world  and 
the  hereafter.  Memory  is  the  nexus  binding  the  two 
together. 

A  Danish  poet  tells  of  a  glorified  spirit  who  was  sent 
to  bring  the  soul  of  a  little  girl  to  heaven.  While  wing- 
ing his  way  with  his  precious  charge,  the  child  saw  a 
rose-tree  in  his  hand  and  asked  the  meaning  of  it.  The 
angel  replied  that  once  upon  a  time  there  was  a  poor  lad 
in  the  city  they  had  left  who  lay  for  a  long  while  dying. 
That  rose-tree  was  the  one  solace  of  his  loneliness.  It 
filled  the  sick-chamber  with  its  fragrance  and  spoke  of 
the  coming  spring.  And  now,  at  his  desire,  the  flower 
was  to  be  transplanted  to  Paradise.  Then  the  child  looked 
up  into  the  angel's  face,  and  asked  : 

"  '  How  knowest  thou  this,  bright  power?' 
Then  splendidly  he  smiled  : 
'Should   I  not  know   my  flower? 
I  was  that  sickly  child.'" 


114  A    QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

We  shall  remember  the  old  home,  the  tree  by  the  door- 
way, the  well-sweep,  the  path  leading  through  the 
meadow,  the  far-away  sound  of  the  school-bell.  We 
remember  them  here,  and  they  will  abide  with  us  when 
we  go  hence. 

4.  Recog7iition. — Immortality,  Identity,  Memory,  Rec- 
ognition !  The  first  involves  the  last.  If  there  is  to  be 
a  heaven  at  all,  we  shall  know  each  other. 

At  a  country  fair  in  New  England  the  militia  had  come 
from  many  surrounding  towns,  and  the  parade  was  to  be 
led  by  old-time  musicians.  A  gray-haired  drummer  took 
his  place  beside  a  decrepit  fifer,  veterans  of  18 12,  but  un- 
known to  each  other.  The  martial  tunes  were  of  long 
ago.  At  last  the  fifer  struck  up  a  tune,  but  the  old  drum- 
mer did  not  follow.  The  fire  kindled  in  his  eyes,  but  his 
drumsticks  were  motionless.  Then,  pushing  back  his  cap, 
he  cried  :  "John,  ye've  played  that  before  ;  ye  played  it 
at  lyUndy's  Lane  !  I  mind  ye.  I  played  the  drum  be- 
side ye  that  day.  Man,  where  have  ye  been,  where  have 
ye  been  ?  ' ' 

There  will  be  times  in  heaven  when  we  shall  catch 
familiar  music  and  familiar  voices,  and  get  glimpses  of 
familiar  faces.  We  shall  take  each  other  by  the  hand 
with  happy  greetings,  and  live  over  again  the  long  ago. 

III.   THE   HOLY  SCRIPTURES 

I.  Those  texts  which  refer  to  hotne. — "In  my  father's 
house  are  many  mansions."  What  makes  a  home? 
Four  walls  ?  The  tapestry  and  pidlures  and  furniture  ? 
Or  the  dear  ones  ?  What  sort  of  a  home  would  heaven 
be  if  the  members  of  the  family  did  not  know  each 
other  ? 

A  devout  man  was  asked  if  he  would  know  his  favorite 


SHALL   WE  KNOW  EACH  OTHER  IN  HEAVEN?  115 

sister  in  heaven.  He  said,  "  I  shall  be  so  occupied  with 
the  beauty  of  the  Bright  and  Morning  Star  that  the 
might  remain  for  ages  by  my  side  without  noticing  her." 
Tut!  What  pious  ignorance!  There  is  no  incompata- 
bility  between  our  Father's  love  and  our  love  for  one 
another.  The  love  of  the  father  is  perfedted  in  us  only 
so  far  as  we  love  the  brethren.  Our  kinships  and  friend- 
ships are  as  eternal  as  the  Father's  love, 

2.  Those  which  speak  of  the  dead  as  having  rejoined  the 
saints  triumphant. — The  patriarchs  are  said  to  have  been 
'  *  gathered  unto  the  fathers. ' '  Some  have  supposed  this 
to  mean  that  they  were  buried  in  the  family  burying- 
ground.  That  can  not  be  said  of  Abraham,  for  he  slept 
in  an  isolated  grave.  Nor  of  Moses,  for  "  no  man  know- 
eth  of  his  sepulchre  unto  this  day. ' '  He  went  up  in  the 
mountain,  and  that  was  the  last  seen  of  him  bodily.  The 
passages  reach  beyond  the  grave  and  refer  to  the  reunion 
of  saints. 

3.  Those  which  speak  of  heaven  as  a  feast. — "They 
shall  come  from  the  east  and  the  west  and  the  north 
and  the  south  and  sit  down  with  Abraham  and  Isaac 
in  the  kingdom."  If  we  are  to  know  those  ancient 
worthies,  why  not  know  those  who  are  nearer  and 
dearer  ? 

It  would  not  be  much  of  a  feast  if  one  knew  only  the 
host.  Celebrating  the  nuptials  of  the  King's  Son,  we 
shall  have  the  joy  of  knowing  and  greeting  each  other. 
The  joy  shall  be  full. 

4.  Those  which  speak  of  the  judgment. — The  culprit 
must  know  himself  to  be  the  evil-doer.  We  can  neither 
be  justly  punished  nor  rewarded  unless  we  can  look  back 
upon  our  lives.  Tichborne's  trial  turned  uion  his  iden- 
tity.    On  this  depended  an  inheritance  or  a  term  in 


116  A    QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

prison.     So  judgment  loses  its  significance  if  our  identity 
and  memory  are  eliminated  from  it. 

5.  Those  which  speak  of  David' s  bereavement. — "  Is  the 
child  dead  ?  "  "  He  is  dead. "  "  Then  David  arose  from 
the  earth,  and  washed  himself,  and  changed  his  apparel, 
and  came  into  the  house  of  the  Lord  and  worshiped  ; 
then  he  came  to  his  own  house,  and  he  required  that  they 
set  bread  before  him,  and  he  did  eat.  Then  said  his 
servants  unto  him.  What  thing  is  this  that  thou  hast 
done  ?  Thou  didst  fast  and  weep  for  the  child  while  it 
was  alive,  but  when  the  child  was  dead,  thou  didst  rise 
and  eat  bread. ' '  David  said  :  ' '  While  the  child  was  yet 
alive  I  fasted  and  wept;  for  I  said.  Who  can  tell  whether 
God  will  be  gracious  to  me,  that  the  child  may  live  ?  But 
now  he  is  dead,  wherefore  should  I  fast  ?  Can  I  bring 
him  back  again  ?  I  shall  go  to  him,  but  he  shall  not  re- 
turn to  me." 

6.  Those  which  tell  of  the  Transfiguration. — Moses  and 
Elias  lived  in  centuries  far  apart.  They  had  been  in 
glory  a  thousand  years.  They  knew  each  other  and  had 
a  practical  interest  in  people  on  the  earth  and  spoke  of 
Christ's  crucifixion. 

7.  Those  which  tell  of  Dives  a7id  Lazarus. — The  rich 
man  is  spoken  of  as  seeing  the  poor  man,  who  had  begged 
at  his  gate,  afar  ofF.  Dives  knew  him.  He  also  remem- 
bered his  living  brothers,  and  wanted  Lazarus  to  go  and 
tell  them  about  his  condition  and  warn  them  against  the 
place  he  was  in. 

Another  text  should  be  emphasized  in  the  same  con- 
nedtion.  Paul  tells  the  Thessalonians  that  they  would 
be  the  crown  of  his  rejoicing.  He  comforts  them  by 
saying  that  the  souls  of  their  friends  who  had  been 
burned,  beheaded,  sawn  asunder,  or  devoured  by  lions. 


SHALL   WE  KNOW  EACH  OTHER  IN  HEAVEN?  117 

were  safe  and  happy  in  heaven.     Thus  the  hope  of  re- 
union is  assured  by  the  Divine  Word. 

"  As  for  thy  friends,  they  are  not  lost, 
The  several  vessels  of  thy  fleet, 
Tho  parted  now,  by  tempests  tossed, 
Shall  safely  in  the  haven  meet." 

IV.    APPLICATION 

Husbands  and  wives,  great  was  your  espousal.  Great 
will  be  the  joy  at  the  reunion. 

Motherless  children  who  still  feel  the  lingering  touch 
of  mother's  arms,  you  cry  for  the  word  from  her  lips. 
You  shall  hear  it  by  and  by. 

Parents,  how  dark  the  wings  of  the  death  angel !  But 
it  was  all  right.  Remember  the  archway  at  the  village 
of  Nain.  See  that  mother  walking  sorrowfully  behind 
the  bier.  She  was  a  widow  and  the  child  was  her  only 
son.  But  Jesus  was  there.  These  two  met  at  the  gate. 
Ivife  and  death  confronted  each  other.  The  giver  of  life 
said:  "Arise."  The  lad  came  back  to  his  mother's 
arms  and  heart. 

Here  is  the  foregleam  of  the  golden  day.  We  shall 
meet  again. 


XXIV 
WILD    OATS 

He  that  soweth  iniquity  shall  reap  calamity. 

— Proverbs  xxii :  8  (Revised  Version). 


*Tp^  HE  ancient  Greeks  were  much  given  to  a  form  of 

^  ,  expression  known  as  "  euphemism."  It  means 
^Sl|  the  speaking  of  disagreeable  things  under  a 
pleasant  name.  Thus  the  sea  which  later  and 
franker  nations  have  renamed  "  Black,"  they  called  the 
"Euxine,"  or  "hospitable,"  sea.  The  Furies  were 
spoken  of  as  the  "  kindly  disposed  "  folk.  We  have  to 
some  extent  adopted  the  pradtise.  Thus  death  is  called  a 
"departure,"  or  "  paying  the  debt  of  nature  ";  stealing, 
' '  misappropriation  ' ' ;  lying,  ' '  prevarication. ' ' 

A  trace  of  the  same  thing  is  seen  in  our  use  of  the 
phrase  "  sowing  one's  wild  oats." 

We  need  less  of  seutimentaiism  and  more  of  common 
sense;  less  of  Greek  euphemism  and  more  of  Anglo-Saxon 
bluntness.  Call  things  by  their  right  name  ;  a  spade, 
"  a  spade,"  and  not  "  an  instrument  of  manual  labor." 

Young  women  need  a  clearer  understanding  of  this 
matter.  Some  think  it  nice  to  be  familiar  with  scape- 
graces. Better  press  the  lips  to  a  white-hot  cylinder, 
grasp  the  hand  of  a  leper,  bathe  in  a  cesspool,  than  give 
friendship  to  a  fast  young  man.  Fast  young  men  break 
young  women's  hearts. 

A  troubled  mother  called  upon  me  not  long  ago  about 
her  son,  who  had  brought  shame  upon  himself  and  her. 
She  resented  my  frank  statement  of  the  case,  and  said : 
118 


WILD    OATS  119 

"  You  know  '  boys  will  be  boys,'  and  I  am  sure  *  lie  will 
live  it  down. '  ' ' 

Never  was  a  greater  mistake.     Notice  : 

I.    "BOYS  WILL  BE   BOYS" 

Yes,  if  a  young  man  gets  bis  enjoyment  from  good  blood 
and  healthy  spirits.  But  ?to,  if  he  plays  fast  and  loose 
with  the  moralities  and  proprieties  and  decencies  of  life. 

Paul  had  a  young  friend  in  Ephesus  to  whom  he  wrote  : 
"  Be  strong;  quit  thyself  like  a  man  ;  flee  youthful  lusts; 
let  no  man  take  thy  crown. ' ' 

The  young  bloods  of  Ephesus  might  have  excused 
themselves  by  the  customary  expression,  "  They  all  do 
it. ' '  Where  are  these  young  men  now  ?  Timothy  was 
a  fine  exception.  He  was  a  manly  young  man.  There 
are  brave  young  fellows  now  who  are  making  a  success- 
ful fight  for  manhood,  whose  laughter  is  as  pure  as  the 
laughter  of  childhood,  who  have  clear  consciences,  who 
can  look  their  mothers  in  the  face  and  kiss  their  sisters' 
lips  without  leaving  a  sooty  stain. 

Mark  Paul's  idea  of  the  two  levels  of  life  : 

1 .  The  low  level  of  the  flesh .  — Here  are  the  self -pleasers, 
the  mammonites,  the  epicures,  all  who  are  merely  getting 
and  enjoying ;  pampering  the  senses.  They  are  not  a 
whit  better  than  the  beasts  that  perish.  Their  aphorism 
is,  "  Let  us  eat  and  drink,  for  to-morrow  we  die." 

2.  The  higher  level  of  the  spirit. — Here  are  the  young 
men  who  are  fighting  the  hydra  of  the  senses'  passion, 
building  charadler  and  making  their  lives  tell  for  right- 
eousness. 

For  such  there  are  three  safeguards  : 
(a)  Conscience.     Look  out  for  the  engine  when  the 
bell  rings. 


120  A    QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

(d)  Honor.  When  James  Harper  was  leaving  home 
for  the  city  his  mother's  last  words  were,  "  My  boy,  you 
have  good  blood  in  you."  Young  man,  remember  that 
God's  breath  is  in  your  nostrils. 

(c)  Faith.  The  young  man  who  trusts  to  self  will 
fail.     If  he  trusts  in  God  he  will  succeed. 

II.    "  HE'LL   LIVE  IT  DOWN  " 

Will  he  ?  "  Can  a  man  take  fire  in  his  bosom  and  not 
be  burned  ? ' '     Sin  leaves  its  slimy  trail  behind. 

1.  //  rofs  self-respect. — "It  eateth  like  a  canker," 
spreading  to  adjacent  parts. 

2.  It  pollutes  memory. — John  Gough  used  to  say,  "I 
would  give  my  right  arm  if  I  could  banish  from  my 
memory  the  scenes  of  my  early  youth. ' ' 

God  may  forgive  a  man,  but  the  man  can  not  forget. 
Not  all  the  soap  in  Christendom  can  wash  out  a  scratch 
on  a  window-pane.  Memory  recalls  the  moral  scars  upon 
the  soul. 

3.  //  crowds  out  nobler  purposes. — You  can  not  get 
wheat  from  Canada  thistles. 

Youth  is  the  seed-time.  John  de  Medici  was  made  car- 
dinal at  fifteen.  The  learned  Grotius  was  a  lawyer  at 
seventeen.  I^afayette  distinguished  himself  as  a  friend 
of  our  republic  at  nineteen.  Newton  worked  out  his  law 
of  attradlion  at  twenty-two.  John  Calvin  wrote  his 
' '  Institutes  ' '  at  twenty-seven.  Marconi  discovered  wire- 
less telegraphy  at  twenty-four.  Napoleon  made  himself 
the  first  captain  of  the  day  by  taking  the  bridge  at  Lodi 
at  twenty-seven.  Christ  worked  out  the  redemption  of 
the  world  at  thirty. 

4.  It  enslaves  in  the  fetters  of  habit. — The  saddest  walk 
I  know  is  along  the  road  from  Tam  o'  Shanter's  Inn  to 


WILD    OATS  121 

Alloway.  On  either  side  are  the  glories  of  Ayrshire,  and 
in  the  distance  the  banks  and  braes  o'  Bonnie  Doon. 
Along  that  road  Robbie  Burns  staggered  many  a  time, 
the  fires  of  genius  in  his  brain  quenched  by  the  fumes  of 
drink.     He  left  this  epitaph  : 

"  Reader,  attend,  whether  thy  soul 
Soar  fancy's  flights  beyond  the  pole, 
Or  darkly  grub  this  earthly  hole 

In  low  pursuit, 
Know  prudent,  cautious  self-control 

Is  wisdom's  root." 

5.  It  ruins  the  body . — Mark  the  bones  in  the  museum 
of  any  hospital,  how  they  have  been  twisted  and  scarred 
by  sin  !     Read  what  the  good  Book  says  : 

6.  //  destroys  the  souL — To  be  carnally  minded  is  death. 
No  room  in  heaven  for  the  fast  young  man  ! 

A  king,  dying,  imagined  that  he  would  be  met  on  the 
other  side  by  a  royal  escort  to  lead  him  to  the  throne. 
Instead  he  saw  a  hag  repellant  beyond  description,  who, 
leering  and  ogling  and  beckoning,  called  :  ' '  Know  you 
not  me  ?  I  am  your  sin  and  am  come  to  abide  with  you. ' ' 
The  soul  is  the  author  of  its  own  endless  pain. 

Lady  Macbeth  cried,  "Out,  damned  spot!"  But  it 
would  not  out.     There  is  no  cleansing  by  contrition. 

"  Will  all  great  Neptune's  ocean  wash  this  blood 
Clean  from  this  hand  ?     No,  this  my  hand  will  rather 
The  multitudinous  seas  incarnadine." 

There  is  no  cleansing  except  through  the  blood  of 
Jesus  Christ. 


XXV 
THE  HINDERED  BUILDERS 

It  came  to  pass  that  when  Sanballat,  and  Tobiah, 
and  the  Arabians,  and  the  Ammonites,  and  the 
Ashdodites  heard  that  the  repairing  of  the  walls 
of  Jerusalem  went  forward  (R.  V.),  then  they 
were  very  wroth,  and  they  conspired  all  of  them 
together  to  hinder  it. 

— Nehemiah  iv  :  7. 


/^    NE  moonlight  night  about  445  B.C.  a  man   rode 

mmSfLt        through  the  streets  of  Jerusalem.     It  was  the 

BaSwl       Prime  Minister  of  Persia,     He  went  out  toward 

the  south  into  the  Valley  of  Hinnom,  turned 

northward,  passed  the  pool  of  Siloam,  then  westward  and 

southward,  completing  the  circuit.     Wherever  he  went 

there  was  desolation,  dust  and  ashes  ;  debris  filled  the 

streets. 

Next  morning  he  summoned  the  priests  and  nobles,  and 
laid  the  matter  before  them.  ' '  Up,  let  us  build. "  "  The 
God  of  Heaven,  He  will  prosper  us. ' '  They  answered, 
* '  Let  us  rise  up  and  build. ' ' 

I.    THE   DUTY  OF  BUILDING 

1.  Our  life  is  strtictural. — We  walk  in  the  midst  of 
ruins.  Human  nature  is  a  ruin,  magnificent  in  decay, 
like  the  grand  old  ruins  of  the  Orient.  Its  solitudes  are 
haunted  by  the  lingering  echoes  of  past  songs  and 
prayers. 

Our  duty  is  to  repair  the  ruin.  This  is  charadter  build- 
ing. 

2.  Society  is  in  ruins. — Evil  lusts  and  appetites,  like 
122 


THE  HINDERED    BUILDERS.  123 

toads  and  adders,  hide  under  the  mold.  Envy  and  malice 
and  selfishness,  like  owls  and  bitterns,  make  their  nests 
in  the  crumbling  arches.  A  new  science  is  born  in  these 
days  called  sociology,  whose  function  is  to  repair  the 
waste  places  of  human  fellowship.  It  claims  to  be  a 
higher  sort  of  archite(5ture,  a  true  edification  or  temple 
building,  and  it  behooves  all  to  engage  in  it. 

3.  The  world  is  a  rum. — It  was  "very  good"  at  the 
beginning,  but  it  has  been  ravaged  by  sin.  The  moon, 
burned  over  centuries  ago,  is  not  more  scarred  or  un- 
sightly. The  trail  of  the  serpent  is  all  over  it,  Tho  the 
cross  was  reared  for  its  redemption,  there  are  sixteen 
hundred  millions  of  people  who  dwell  in  darkness  and  in 
the  shadow  of  death.  Here  is  work  for  the  builder. 
The  kingdom  rises  slowly.     The  laborers  are  few. 

Multitudes  seek  enjoyment  only.  They  are  like  tramps 
who  go  through  a  village,  in  at  one  end  and  out  at  the 
other,  lacking  all  the  necessities  of  life,  asking  only  a 
hedge  to  sleep  under  and  provisions  by  the  way. 

Life  is  worth  living  only  as  it  promises  life  beyond. 
The  wise  man  builds,  and,  like  Piso,  "builds  for  eter- 
nity." In  the  building  process  he  is  hindered  by  the 
adversary. 

II.    OPEN   HOSTILITY 

"  Now  when  Sanballat  and  Tobiah  heard  that  our 
hands  were  strengthened  for  the  work,  they  said,  What 
is  this  thing  that  ye  do?  Will  ye  rebel  against  the 
king  ? ' '  Rebellion  !  Ay  !  A  good  life  is  defiance 
against  the  devil.  A  builder  on  Ziou's  walls  meets  op- 
position. Christ  met  opposition.  So  did  the  apostles, 
the  martyrs,  the  reformers. 

Thank  God  these  are  not  the  days  of  the  ax,  the  fagot, 
and  the  instrument  of  torture.     Blood  councils  and  in- 


124  A    QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

quisitions  have  gone  by !  But  there  is  opposition  as 
effedlive  as  the  rack  and  the  thumbscrew,  which  have 
been  replaced  by  calumny  and  the  boycott.  ' '  Fanatic  ! ' ' 
' '  bigot ! ' '  These  are  cutting  words  skilfully  handled 
by  the  dupes  of  the  archfiend. 

It  is  said  of  St.  Anthony  that,  being  persecuted,  he 
took  refuge  in  a  cave  by  the  River  Nile.  The  red  eyes  of 
devils  leered  upon  him,  the  air  was  resonant  with  epi- 
thets. Snares  were  set  for  his  feet.  He  had  no  rest. 
He  had  made  himself  obnoxious  by  his  hostility  toward 
social  vices  and  kindred  evils. 

So  we  have  an  Anthony  in  New  York  who  is  threat- 
ened with  personal  violence,  imprisonment,  and  what 
not,  because  of  his  opposition  to  prevailing  vices  of  the 
day.  For  years  he  has  stood  under  the  rain  of  detraAion 
and  misrepresentation.  He  met  the  violent  opposition  of 
fi.fty  thousand  friends  of  so-called  ' '  personal  liberty  ' '  on 
account  of  his  endeavor  to  suppress  the  circulation  of 
obscene  literature  through  the  mails.  This  is  the  fate  of 
all  earnest  souls  who  attempt  to  overthrow  vice  and 
crime. 

III.   RESOURCES  OF  THE  ENEMY 

It  is  related  that  when  Sanballat  and  Tobiah  could  not 
hinder  the  work  of  the  builders,  these  made  sport  of 
them. 

' '  What  do  these  feeble  Jews  ? ' '  said  Sanballat.  ' '  Are 
they  building  a  fortification  or  an  altar  for  sacrifice? 
"Will  they  revive  the  stones  of  this  rubbish-heap  ?  Will 
they  finish  the  work  to-day  or  to-morrow,  think  you  !  " 

"Ha,  ha  !  "  laughed  Tobiah.  "  It's  a  wall,  I  reckon  ; 
but  if  a  fox  should  run  over  it  he  would  break  it  down. ' ' 

Then  a  burst  of  laughter  echoed  from  the  hillsides 
where  the  Samaritans  were  looking  on. 


THE  HINDERED  BUILDERS  125 

Earnest  men  are  derided.  More  people  die  of  ridicule 
than  of  poison,  or  cholera,  or  cannon-balls. 

"Come,  now,"  says  one,  "just  take  a  glass;  it 
won't  hurt  you."  "Don't  be  a  chump.  Going  to 
the  holy  club?  Ha,  ha!  Come  on."  God  bless  the 
struggler  ! 

In  the  church  at  Treviso  is  a  chain  with  the  imprint  of 
a  finger  on  it.  They  say  that  one  night  Emilani  awoke 
in  his  dungeon  and  saw  an  angel  standing  near.  ' '  Arise 
and  be  free,"  said  the  angel,  and  at  his  touch  the 
prisoner's  chains  fell  off. 

The  Angel  of  Deliverance  is  ever  near.  A  word  of 
prayer  is  answered  by  the  sound  of  breaking  chains. 

If  a  man  tries  to  make  his  surroundings  better  he  must 
expedt  ridicule.  Dives  will  keep  open.  Vice  will  rustle 
past.  Magistrates  even  will  chuckle.  ' '  What  will  you 
do  about  it  ?  "  Something  of  this  sort  took  place  when 
David,  the  stripling,  went  down  to  meet  the  giant.  His 
brothers  mocked  his  presumption.  Saul  was  skeptical  at 
first.  The  giant  had  his  foolish  boast.  But  the  unex- 
pedted  happened  and  the  deriders  felt  foolish. 

William  Carey  proposed  to  evangelize  India.  He  was 
called  the  ' '  consecrated  cobbler  ' '  for  suggesting  such  a 
nonsensical  thing. 

Shouts  of  laughter  greeted  the  early  efforts  of  the  Sal- 
vation Army.  But  many  of  those  who  came  to  scoff 
remained  to  pray. 

IV.  COMPROMISE 

Open  hostility  and  ridicule  failed.  So,  Sanballat  and 
Tobiah  suggested  talking  matters  over  and  coming  to 
some  mutual  understanding. 

Dangerous  ground  this.     Compromise  never  won  in  a 


126  A    QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

good  cause.  Our  country  has  suffered  from  it.  Our 
missionary  Boards  have  suffered  from  it. 

' '  Nothing  is  settled  until  it  is  settled  right, ' '  said 
Abraham  Lincoln.  There  is  no  neutral  ground,  no 
valley  of  Ono  in  spiritual  matters. 

Where  shall  we  compromise  ?  In  matters  relating  to 
truth  ?     Nay. 

In  matters  of  the  conscience  ?  Nay.  Do  right  tho  the 
heavens  come  rattling  down  upon  you. 

In  matters  of  our  devotion  to  Christ  ?  Nay.  He  de- 
mands the  surrender  of  all.  "Sell  all  that  thou  hast  and 
come,  follow  me. ' '  Remember  the  lighthouse-keeper  at 
Minot  Ledge.  The  storm  had  raged  all  day.  At  night 
the  lights  were  kindled.  The  bell  struck  the  hour.  The 
people  saw  the  lighthouse  swaying  in  the  storm.  Still 
the  light  shone  and  the  bell  rang.  At  length  a  mighty 
wave  rolled  in  over  the  reef  The  light  was  out.  The 
bell  was  silent.  But  the  keeper  had  done  his  duty.  May 
death  find  us  at  our  post  ! 

The  watchword  in  those  days  of  Israel  was  ' '  Remem- 
ber the  Lord."  The  guards  repeated  it  as  they  patrolled 
the  walls.  The  workmen  cheered  each  other  on  by  the 
countersign.  Fifty-two  days,  and  the  work  was  finished. 
Then  came  the  march  through  the  city,  and  the  waving 
of  branches  and  the  singing:  "  Oh  that  men  would  praise 
the  Lord  for  His  goodness  and  for  His  wonderful  work 
to  the  children  of  men. ' ' 

Brethren,  let  us  up  and  build.  Repair  the  waste  places 
of  our  personal  charadler,  of  society,  and  of  this  sin- 
cursed  world.  "  If  God  be  with  us  who  shall  be  against 
us?"  "Stand  fast,  Craig  KHachie ! "  The  day  of 
rejoicing  will  come. 


XXVI 
THE   LEPERS   OF   SAMARIA 

Then  they  said  one  to  another,  We  do  not  well : 
this  day  is  a  day  of  good  tidings,  and  we  hold 

our  peace. 

—II.  Kings  vii :  9. 


^T^  HERE  was  a  horrible  famine  in  Samaria, 
*    I  Worse  than  that,  Benhadad,  King  of  Syria, 

^^fc^  menaced  the  city  with  a  vast  army.  He  had 
been  preparing  for  this  ten  5''ears  or  more. 
A  strange  thing  happened.  In  the  open  space  between 
the  walls  of  the  city  and  the  Syrian  camp  four  lepers 
Avandered  about  in  quest  of  food.  They  said,  If  we  go 
into  the  city  there  is  nothing  for  us  there;  for  a  mother 
even  had  slain  her  infant  for  food.  If  we  go  into  the 
the  camp  we  can  but  perish,  and  maybe  they  will  save 
us  alive.  So  they  started  off.  Drawing  nigh,  they  heard 
no  footfall  of  sentries,  no  sound  anywhere,  no  clash  of 
arms.  What  can  this  dead  silence  mean  ?  Getting  within 
the  lines,  they  found  that  the  Syrians  had  been  frightened 
away  by  a  supposed  army  of  the  Hittites  from  the  north 
or  the  Egyptians  from  the  south.  They  had  left  in  a 
hurr}^,  and  the  lepers  found  abundance  of  food  and  of 
silver  and  gold. 

Next  morning,  looking  toward  the  walls  of  Samaria 
with  its  famished  multitudes,  one  of  them  said  :  ' '  My 
brethren,  we  do  not  well  ;  this  day  is  a  day  of  good  tid- 
ings, and  we  hold  our  peace. ' '  Each  had  been  for  him- 
self till  the  awakening  came,  when  shame  and  confusion 
took  hold  upon  them. 

127 


128  A    QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

The  world  is  famishing  for  the  bread  of  Hfe   which 
Christians  possess  and  are  commissioned  to  distribute. 
There  are  three  motives  to  beneficence  : 

I.   SELF-INTEREST 

We  seek  our  own  salvation.  That  is  done  by  the  one 
adl  of  surrender.  But  shall  we  forget  others  as  needy 
as  ourselves,  like  the  thoughtless  lepers?  Indeed,  it  is 
our  life  to  work  out  our  salvation  in  trying  to  save 
others . 

A  traveler  on  a  cold  winter  day  on  a  prairie  of  the 
"West  felt  a  creeping  drowsiness  coming  over  him,  the 
harbinger  of  death.  He  stumbled  over  something  in  the 
way,  and  found  it  to  be  the  body  of  a  man.  Dead  ?  The 
flesh  was  still  warm,  the  pulse  flickered.  He  chafed  him, 
lifted  him  up  in  his  arms,  and  carried  him  in  the  diredlion 
of  a  supposed  hut.  He  was  weary,  but  he  held  out  and 
began  to  perspire.  Finally  he  reached  the  place  of  help. 
In  trying  to  save  this  man  he  saved  himself. 

Forgetting  self  we  are  happy.  The  happiest  man  is 
he  who  forgets  himself  in  thought  for  others.  What  is 
our  Great  Example  doing  at  Sychar  ?  He  is  tired,  hungry, 
and  thirsty.  But  He  forgets  all  that  in  saving  the  woman 
at  the  well. 

What  is  He  doing  at  Bethesda  ?     Healing. 

What  is  He  doing  at  Gadara,  beyond  the  lake  ?  Cast- 
ing out  devils.  He  travels  up  and  down  caring  for  others. 
Why  is  He  climbing  up  the  hill  with  that  awful  burden 
upon  Him  ?  He  has  assumed  the  world's  sin,  and  will 
bear  its  shame,  its  bondage,  and  its  penalty  on  the  tree. 
He  thus  empties  Himself,  makes  Himself  of  no  reputa- 
tion, forgets  Himself  for  us.  ' '  lyCt  this  mind  be  in 
you." 


THE  LEPERS   OF  SAMARIA  129 

II.  THE   COMMON  WEAL 

This  is  a  higher  motive  than  self-interest.  The  Christ 
spirit  makes  more  account  of  number  two  than  number 
one.     The  parable  of  the  good  Samaritan  teaches  that. 

A  ship  was  out  on  the  open  sea.  The  captain  saw  what 
he  thought  to  be  a  floating  hulk.  He  descried  a  signal 
of  distress.  The  life-boat  was  sent  forth.  The  rescuers 
reached  the  hulk,  climbed  up,  found  sailors  lying  dead 
and  dying  here  and  there  upon  the  deck.  Yonder  in  the 
shelter  of  a  torn  sail  lay  one  in  whom  life  still  lingered. 
He  was  lifted  gently  into  the  boat.  As  they  were  about 
to  row  away  he  opened  his  eyes  and  struggled  to  speak. 
He  could  but  whisper:  "  Don't  go — there's  another  man." 
They  went  back  and  found  the  other  man.  Oh,  this  is 
the  best  impulse  of  sandtified  human  nature — to  rescue 
the  other  man  ! 

Christ  had  compassion  on  the  multitude  and  fed  them. 

That's  our  lesson. 

III.  THE   DIVINE   GLORY 

This  is  the  highest  motive  of  all.  The  chief  end  of 
man  is  to  glorify  God.  In  the  Brahman  religion  the 
highest  virtue  is  Apavarga,  to  be  swallowed  up  in  Brah- 
ma. The  devotee  sits  all  day  long,  indifferent  to  the 
world  about  him,  lost  in  meditation.  Ask  him  what  he 
is  doing.  ' '  Sinking  m}-  personality  in  the  ineffable  One. ' ' 
There  is  a  glorious  truth  lying  beneath  this  pagan  con- 
ception. True,  the  highest  possible  attainment  of  the 
human  soul  is  to  lose  itself  in  God,  not  in  any  pantheistic 
surrender  of  personality,  not  in  any  subjedlive  process  of 
sentimental  relledlion,  but  in  the  complete  blending  of 
the  human  will  with  the  Divine,  and  an  entire  surrender 
of  personal  ambition  to  the  Divine  purpose. 


130  A   QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

We  can  not  help  God  in  the  administration  of  univer- 
sal affairs.  Nor  will  it  do  to  live  in  the  perfunc5lory  dis- 
charge of  duty.  To  pay  one's  debts,  speak  the  truth, 
and  obey  the  civil  law  is  well ;  but  God  pity  the  man  who 
is  no  better  than  the  law  compels  him  to  be  ! 

God's  work  for  man  is  great.  He  expedls  our  coopera- 
tion in  making  the  world  sweeter  and  better ;  that  will 
glorify  God. 

God  identifies  himself  with  the  poor  and  suffering.  A 
Russian  legend  tells  of  a  poor  serf  who  on  a  bitter  night 
passed  a  soldier  on  guard.  The  sentinel's  teeth  were 
chattering  with  cold.  "Man,"  said  the  serf,  "you 
shiver,  you  are  freezing;  take  my  coat."  Long  years 
after  this  the  serf  came  up  to  heaven's  gate.  He  saw 
Christ,  and  said,  ' '  Master,  you  have  on  my  coat. ' '  '  'Ay, ' ' 
said  Jesus,  ' '  I  have  worn  it  ever  since  thou  gavest  it  me  on 
that  cold  night. "  "  Inasmuch  as  ye  have  done  it  unto  the 
least  of  these  my  brethren,  ye  have  done  it  unto  me. ' ' 

The  lepers,  tho  tardy  at  first,  did  a  good  and  generous 
deed,  and  none  were  happier  than  they  in  the  doing  of  it. 
They  called  the  porter  and  said,  ' '  The  Syrians  have 
fled ;  there  is  food  enough  and  to  spare. ' '  The  porter 
called  the  watchman  within,  and  soon  the  news  spread, 
and  multitudes  hurried  to  the  gates  and  were  fed.  Oh, 
that  was  a  great  day  for  Samaria  !  But  off  on  yonder 
hillside  stood  the  lepers,  fingers  on  lips,  crying,  "Un- 
clean, unclean  !  ' '     But  they  were  happy  in  their  deed. 

Go  with  the  good  news  that  the  siege  is  lifted,  and  bid 
all  come  to  the  great  feast  of  God  ! 


XXVII 
THE   DUTY   OF   FAULTFINDING 

Brother,  let  me  pull  out  the  mote  out  of  thine 
eye. 

— Matthew  vii :  4. 


SB 


AULTFINDKRS,  like  the  poor,  are  always  with  us. 
When  the  gods  determined  to  create  this 
world,  Jupiter  made  a  man  ;  Neptune,  a  bull ; 
Minerva,  a  house.  Momus,  standing  by,  found 
fault  with  the  man  because  he  had  no  window  in  his  breast ; 
with  the  bull,  because  its  horns  were  not  under  his  eyes  ; 
with  the  house,  because  it  was  not  on  wheels,  so  that  its 
inmates  might  move  awaj^  from  unpleasant  neighbors. 
For  this  Momus  was  cast  out  of  the  divine  councils,  and 
has  been  among  us  ever  since. 

Do-nothings  are  clever  in  criticizing  busy  people. 

Faultfinding  in  itself  is  not  a  sin.  It  is  a  duty.  The 
Levitical  law  said  :  ' '  Thou  shalt  .  .  .  rebuke  thy 
neighbor  and  not  suffer  sin  upon  him."  It  is  enjoined 
in  the  New  Testament :  ' '  Reprove,  rebuke,  with  all 
long-suffering  and  doctrine."  Much  depends  on  how 
this  is  done.  Tadl  is  necessary.  A  new  convert  asked 
a  fellow  traveler  if  he  were  a  Christian.  The  gentle- 
man politely  replied  that  he  was  a  professor  of  theol- 
ogy. Whereupon  the  questioner  said  :  "  I  would  not  let 
a  little  thing  like  that  stand  in  my  way. ' '  Equally  ab- 
surd, if  not  positively  sinful,  is  the  way  some  people  pro- 
ceed to  administer  reproof.  Faultfinding  should  be 
helpful  and  pleasing  to  God. 

131 


132  A    QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

I.   CAST  THE  BEAM  OUT  OF   THINE  OWN  EYE 

There  is  a  Spanish  proverb  :  "If  our  faults  were 
written  on  our  foreheads  we  should  all  have  to  go  with 
our  hats  pulled  over  our  eyes."  Perfedlion  is  not  ex- 
pedted  in  the  faultfinder.  It  is  required,  however,  be- 
fore he  finds  fault  with  another  that  he  rid  himself  of  that 
particular  sin.  "Wherefore,  O  man,  thou  art  inex- 
cusable that  judgest  .  .  .  because  thou  doest  the 
same  thing."  Don't  preach  temperance  with  a  flask  in 
your  pocket.  Don't  preach  purity  while  your  lips  are 
blistered  by  the  telling  of  unclean  tales.  Don't  prate 
about  political  reform  if  you  stay  away  from  the  polls. 

We  are  prone  to  criticize  that  which  we  ourselves  often 
do.  It  takes  a  rogue  to  catch  a  rogue.  In  a  lunatic 
asylum  a  poor  fellow  who  had  reached  the  depths  of  folly 
by  squandering  his  inheritance  would  point  his  finger  at 
every  visitor  with  the  words :  ' '  God  save  the  fool. ' ' 
' '  Physician,  heal  thyself ' '  before  attempting  to  heal 
others. 

II.  COME  OUT  FROM  YOUR  COVERT 

"  If  thy  brother  shall  trespass  against  thee,  go  and 
tell  him  his  fault  between  him  and  thee  alone. ' '  The 
greatest  evil  is  wrought  by  hints  and  innuendoes.  Swift 
speaks  of  some  who 

"  Convey  a  libel  in  a  frown, 
And  wink  a  reputation  down  ; 
Or  by  the  tossing  of  a  fan 
Describe  the  lady  and  the  man." 

Be  frank  and  generous.  A  says  to  B  that  C  has  been 
misbehaving  himself.  Then  Mrs.  A  canvasses  the  mat- 
ter with  Mrs.  B  over  their  teacups,  and  presently  the 
neighbor  is  by  the  ears.     That  is  called  gossip.    Nothing 


THE  DUTY  OF  FAULTFINDING  133 

is  meaner  in  the  catalog  of  sins.  ' '  Thou  shalt  not  go 
up  and  down  as  a  talebearer  among  thy  people:  I  am  the 
Lord." 

The  meanest  of  men  was  Shimei.  David  had  honored 
and  befriended  him.  But  when  David  got  into  trouble 
and  was  escaping  down  the  hill,  Shimei  came  out  from 
behind  the  hedge  and  threw  stones  at  him,  saying, 
"  Come  out,  come  out,  thou  man  of  Belial  !  "  Faithful 
Abishai  asked,  "  Shall  I  go  and  take  off  the  head  of  this 
dog?  "  But  the  generous  king  replied,  "  It  is  not  worth 
while."  Set  over  against  that  Paul's  frankness  when 
he  confronted  Peter,  who  was  withdrawing  from  the  Gen- 
tiles and  proving  false  to  his  principles.  He  ' '  withstood 
him  face  to  face,"  yet  Paul  and  Peter  were  the  best  of 
friends  afterward.  It  would  have  been  otherwise  if  Paul 
had  gone  behind  Peter's  back  and  said  what  he  did. 
Friends  are  parted  by  backbiting.  Backbiting  is  the 
pestilent  thing  that  keeps  out  of  sight.  You  hear  it 
buzz,  you  feel  the  smart,  but  you  can  not  reach  it. 

III.   PUT   ON  CHARITY  AS  A  GARMENT 

' '  Charity  suflf ereth  long  and  is  kind  ;  charity  envieth 
not,  doth  not  behave  itself  unseemly,  is  not  easily  pro- 
voked, thinketh  no  evil. ' ' 

A  Russian  fable  tells  of  a  wise  swine  named  Kavron 
that  found  its  way  into  the  courtyard  of  the  palace, 
where  it  roved  at  will  between  the  kitchen  and  the  stable. 
On  its  return  the  master  said:  "Well,  Kavron,  what 
have  you  seen?  I  have  heard  that  kings'  palaces  are 
filled  with  wealth  and  beauty;  that  there  are  rare  pidtures 
and  splendid  tapestry  and  pearls  and  diamonds  every- 
where." "  'Tis  false,"  said  Kavron;  "  I  saw  no  splendor 
— nothing  but  dirt  and  offal." 


134  A    QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

If  we  proceed  in  like  manner  we  shall  reach  a  like  re- 
sult. There  is  some  good  in  every  man.  It  is  our  duty 
to  look  for  it.  We  may  go  into  the  back  yard  of  a  man's 
chara(5ter  and  find  all  manner  of  noisome  things,  or  we 
may  go  into  his  front  garden  and  bear  away  with  us  the 
fragrance  of  the  virtues  there. 

Lincoln  never  said  a  wiser  thing  than  this:  "With 
malice  toward  none;  with  charity  for  all;  and  with  firm- 
ness for  the  right  as  God  gives  us  to  see  the  right. ' ' 

IV.   TAKE  CARE 

To  pluck  a  cinder  out  of  an  inflamed  eye  is  a  delicate 
matter.  You  would  not  go  about  it  with  a  marlinespike. 
But  a  neighbor's  faults  are  sometimes  treated  in  that  way. 
I  have  known  people  boast  of  their  bluntness.  They  call 
a  spade  a  spade.  Frankness  is  a  virtue ;  bluntness  a 
vice. 

Anybody  can  call  a  man  hard  names.  Only  an  expert 
can  help  a  faulty  brother.  What  wonderful  tacft  our 
Lord  used  at  the  well  of  Sychar  !  How  skilfully  He 
went  about  His  work,  and  how  well  He  succeeded  !  His 
scathing  rebuke  went  to  the  woman's  inner  soul;  yet  she 
hurried  off  to  the  village  as  His  friend,  and  became  the 
bearer  of  the  best  news  ever  heard.  Christ  was  a  great 
faultfinder.  But  how  graciously  He  did  it  !  When 
occasion  required  He  could  hurl  lightning  denunciation. 
At  other  times  He  was  as  gentle  as  a  mother  to  her  erring 
babe.  Like  a  good  surgeon,  He  cut  to  save.  Love  was 
the  secret  of  His  art.  "  I  have  given  you  an  example," 
He  said. 

Our  faults  are  like  the  dust  that  gathered  on  the  feet 
of  the  Oriental  traveler.  Christ  washes  them  away.  His 
cross  stood  like  a  finger  of  admonition  to  put  the  world  to 


THE  DUTY  OF  FAULTFINDING  135 

an  open  shame.     Divine  love  should  kill  the  foul  spirit 
within  us. 

Now,  what  shall  we  do  ? 

V.   CHANGE   PLACES 

We  have  to.  ' '  For  with  what  measure  ye  mete  it 
shall  be  measured  unto  you  again."  In  the  nature  of 
things  requital  is  sure  to  come.  As  we  sow,  so  shall  we 
reap. 

Adoni-bezek  was  a  barbaric  prince.  His  custom  was 
to  torture  and  mutilate  his  captives.  The  time  came 
when  he  himself  was  a  prisoner  of  war,  and  this  was  his 
lamentation  :  ' '  Threescore  and  ten  kings,  having  their 
thumbs  and  great  toes  cut  off,  did  gather  meat  under  my 
table.     As  I  have  done,  so  God  hath  requited  me. ' ' 

The  law  of  recompense  executes  itself.  Haman  is 
ever  on  his  way  to  the  gallows.  The  royal  fiend  who 
gave  the  signal  for  the  massacre  of  Black  Bartholomew's 
must  lie  awake  at  nights  seeing  red  visions  of  carnage. 
As  ye  have  done  unto  others,  so  shall  it  be  done  unto  you. 

' '  Forgive  us  our  debts,  as  we  forgive  our  debtors. ' ' 
Omit  that  if  we  are  of  an  unforgiving  spirit.  We  must 
put  aside  all  grudges,  all  malice,  all  en\'ying ;  then,  and 
not  till  then,  shall  we  be  able  to  pluck  the  mote  out  of 
our  brother's  eye. 


XXVIII 
THE   BRANDED   CONSCIENCE 

Having  their  conscience  seared  with  a  hot  iron. 
—I.  Timothy  iv  :  2. 

AUL  is  Speaking  of  certain  heretics  who  had  come 
among  the  members  of  the  Ephesian  Church. 

He  had  warned  them  five  years  before,  when 
the  elders  at  the  seashore  saw  him  off  to  Jeru- 
salem :  ' '  Take  heed  to  yourselves  and  the  flock  over 
which  the  Holy  Ghost  hath  made  you  overseers ;  for  I 
know  this,  that  after  my  departing  grievous  wolves  shall 
enter  in  among  you,  not  sparing  the  flock."  Now  he 
repeats:  "The  Spirit  speaketh  express^,  that  in  the 
latter  times  some  shall  depart  from  the  faith,  giving  heed 
to  seducing  spirits,  speaking  lies  in  hypocrisy  ;  having 
their  conscience  seared  with  a  hot  iron." 

The  reference  may  be  to  the  ancient  custom  of  brand- 
ing slaves  with  their  master's  name.  Habitual  sin  leaves 
its  mark  upon  body,  mind,  and  soul. 

Possibly  reference  is  made  to  the  branding  of  a  male- 
fadtorwith  the  sign  of  his  crime,  as  in  the  story  of  "  The 
Scarlet  Letter. ' '     A  stigma  attaches  to  bad  habits. 

Or  perhaps  the  reference  is  made  to  the  surgical  opera- 
tion known  as  cautery,  the  original  of  which  is  the  Greek 
verb  kaiderizo,  meaning  to  sear.  The  dulling  of  the 
moral  sense  under  the  slow  process  of  continuance  in  any 
sinful  pradlise  is  like  the  searing  of  raw  flesh. 

But  what  is  consciejice  ? 

The  faculty  by  which  we  discern  right  from  wrong. 

136 


THE  BRANDED    CONSCIENCE  137 

Con-scire,  to  know  with.  With  whom  ?  God.  Agree- 
ment with  Him  with  respedt  to  moral  determinations. 
God  is  always  passing  judgment.  Mene,  Mene,  Tekel, 
' '  Thou  art  weighed  in  the  balance. ' ' 

Conscience  responds  affirmatively  to  God's  moral  de- 
cisions.    In  Plato's  phrase,  "  We  know  with  God." 

The  science  of  casuistry  is  broad  and  bewildering. 
Many  noble  philosophers  have  gone  astray  in  it :  Sir 
William  Hamilton,  Immanuel  Kant,  Herbert  Spencer, 
and  John  Stuart  Mill. 

Some  things  may  be  definitely  asserted  : 

I.   CONSCIENCE  IS  UNIVERSAL 

' '  The  spirit  of  man  is  the  candle  of  the  Lord. ' '  A 
man  may  be  born  without  sight,  hearing,  speech,  arm- 
less, legless,  but  never  without  conscience.  The  heathen 
have  this  faculty  :  ' '  The  law  written  in  their  hearts, 
their  conscience  bearing  witness. ' ' 

The  north  star  is  a  beacon-light.  Old  Palinurus 
steered  his  bark  by  it.  The  Argonauts  in  search  of  the 
Golden  Fleece  followed  it  as  a  beckoning  finger  of  light. 
Abraham  kept  his  gaze  upon  it  as  he  journeyed  along  the 
Euphrates  to  the  country  that  he  knew  not.  Columbus 
watched  it  from  the  bow  of  the  Pinta.  The  Bedouins  of 
the  desert  diredl  their  course  by  it.  The  fugitive  slaves 
followed  it  through  forests  and  bayous  to  their  bleak 
haven  beyond  the  northern  lakes.  All  other  lights  are 
quenched,  but  the  candle  of  the  Lord  burns  on.  Con- 
science, like  the  pole-star,  is  guide  for  all. 

.1.   UNIVERSAL  CONSCIENCE  IS  DISORDERED 

No  inward  sense  is  an  infallible  guide.  Sin  has 
wrought  disorder.  An  inbound  steamer  was  recently 
two  hundred  miles  from  Nantucket  Shoals,  as  indicated 


138  A    QUIVER   OF  AJ?ROWS 

by  compass  and  sextant,  when  the  outlook  cried,  "  Land 
ho!"  The  dangerous  shoals  were  in  sight.  The  ship's 
carpenter  had  carelessly  driven  a  nail  too  near  the  mag- 
netic needle.  A  slight  defledlion  may  cause  a  vast  diver- 
gence at  the  open  end  of  the  angle.* 

So  conscience  is  sensitive  to  sin.  To  one  befogged  by 
indulgence  in  pernicious  habit,  in  that  way  lies  danger. 

When  Nero  became  emperor  he  wept  as  he  signed  the 
death-warrant  of  a  slave,  saying  that  he  was  sorry  that 
he  ever  learned  to  write.  But  the  tiger  whetted  his  taste 
for  blood  and  he  soon  reveled  in  it.  When  the  cry 
"  Hoc  habet  !  "  was  heard  in  the  amphitheatre  he  always 
gave  the  signal  of  death. 

What  is  your  darling  sin,  my  friend?  Once  you 
scrupled  to  indulge  it.  Pradtise  made  it  easier.  Your 
compundlions  gradually  vanished.  But  sin  is  as  sinful  as 
ever.  Moral  sense  may  be  blunted  to  the  degree  of  being 
seared. 

What  excuse  ?  The  criminal  says,  ' '  I  was  drunk  at 
the  time."  But  the  Court  pushes  the  responsibility  back 
to  the  first  touch  of  the  cup.  The  saddest  of  all  crimes 
is  the  deadening  of  conscience,  when  a  man  prepares  him- 
self to  do  all  manner  of  evil.  He  must  answer  for  the 
perversion  of  the  moral  sense. 

III.  CONSCIENCE  IS  INDESTRUCTIBLE 
It  may  be  changed,  silenced,  but  not  killed.     Like  a 


*  The  writer  of  this  digest,  in  one  of  his  voyages  across  the  Atlantic,  was 
returning  home  when  the  ship  plunged  into  a  fog.  The  captain,  a  careful 
man,  had  not  seen  the  sun  for  three  days,  and  therefore  was  unable  to  take 
his  bearings.  He  caught  a  glimpse  of  the  sun  through  the  rift  of  a  cloud,  and 
found  that  the  ship  was  within  a  few  minutes  of  the  dangerous  coast  of  New- 
foundland. IJngines  were  at  once  reversed.  From  a  point  northwest  the 
compass  was  put  one  point  southwest,  which  led  us  off  many  miles  on  another 
angle— the  angle  of  safety. 


THE  BRANDED    CONSCIENCE  139 

mute  angel  in  the  round  tower  of  the  soul,  it  bides  its 
time. 

Nero's  greatest  crime  was  the  murder  of  his  mother, 
Agrippiiia.  He  sent  her  dead  body  across  the  sea  for 
burial.  But  in  the  midnight  hours  he  heard  her  groans 
from  that  far-off  grave. 

Kmg  Richard's  conscience  awoke  at  Bosworth  Field. 
Ghosts  of  his  viaims  (Grey,  Vaughan,  and  Rivers) 
entered  his  tent  with  such  malediaions  as  this  : 

Rivers— "Let  me  sit  heavy  on  thy  soul  to-morrow." 

Then  the  ghosts   of   the   two  murdered   princes  came, 
saying  : 

"Dream  on  thy  cousins  smothered  in  the  Tower." 

Then  the  specter  of  his  murdered  wife  : 

"  Richard,  thy  wife,  that  wretched  Anne,  thy  wife, 
That  never  slept  a  quiet  hour  with  thee, 
Now  fills  thy  sleep  with  perturbations." 

Then  the  king  awoke,  confessing  the  immortal  power 
of  conscience  : 

"  My  conscience  has  a  thousand  several  tongues, 
And  every  tongue  brings  in  a  several  tale. 
And  every  tale  condemns  me  for  a  villain  !" 

Frivolous  and  dissipated  Byron,  who  was  old  at  an  age 
when  most  men  were  young,  lamented  thus  : 

"  The  mind  that  broods  o'er  guilty  woes 
Is  like  the  scorpion  girt  by  fire  • 
In  circle  narrowing  as  it  glows 
The  flames  around  their  captive  close. 
So  writhes  the  mind  remorse  hath  riven, 
Unfit  for  earth,  undoomed  for  heaven- 
Darkness  above,  despair  beneath. 
Around  it  fire,  within  it  death." 


140  A    QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

Here  is  the  basis  of  eternal  retribution.  Sin  !  Pen- 
alty !  Memory  awake  !  The  mind,  as  Milton  says,  "is 
its  own  place,  and  in  itself  can  make  a  heaven  of  hell,  a 
hell  of  heaven. ' ' 

IV.   CONSCIENCE  CAN  BE  RESTORED 

How?  Get  back  to  God.  You  do  not  tinker  your 
own  watch,  but  take  it  to  the  watchmaker.  God  made 
your  conscience,  which  you  have  put  out  of  order.  He 
alone  can  repair  it.     Tell  Him  about  it.     That  is  prayer. 

Two  things  are  necessary  : 

1 .  Cleansing. — '  *  The  blood  of  Jesus  Christ  shall  purge 
your  conscience  from  dead  works  to  serve  the  living 
God." 

"  There  is  a  fountain  filled  with  blood 
Drawn  from  Immanuel's  veins  ; 
And  sinners  plunged  beneath  that  flood 
Lose  all  their  guilty  stains." 

2.  Regulating. — All  chronometers  are  regulated  by  the 
sun.  All  consciences  must  be  regulated  and  adjusted  to 
the  mind  of  God.  God  says  this  in  the  Scriptures,  the 
only  infallible  rule  of  faith  and  pradtise.  Conscience 
goes  wrong  ;  Scripture,  never. 

"When  conscience,"  says  Dr.  McCosh,  "has  lost  its 
delicate  sensibility  and  power  of  diredlion,  there  seems  to 
be  only  one  method  of  restoration — namely,  by  placing  it 
alongside  of  a  pure  standard  of  right  and  wrong  ;  as  the 
magnetized  iron  which  has  lost  its  virtue  is  restored  by 
being  bound  up  for  a  time  with  a  correct  magnet. ' ' 

Scripture  is  the  only  correct  magnet  for  the  conscience. 

The  most  flagrant  crimes  have  been  committed  through 
disordered  conscience.     Even  Paul  had  to  say,  "  I  verily 


THE  BRANDED    CONSCIENCE  141 

thouglit  I  ought  to  do  it."  Sincerity  makes  a  disordered 
conscience  all  the  worse,  and  is  no  excuse  for  violation  of 
moral  law.  "  Search  the  Scripture,  for  in  thefn  ye  think 
ye  have  eternal  life,  and  these  are  they  which  testify  of  me ^ 

In  the  pidlures  of  St.  Gudule  she  is  represented  as 
shielding  a  lantern  with  her  hand.  Passing  through  a 
dense  forest  on  her  way  to  the  oratory  an  evil  spirit  met 
her  and  blew  out  the  light.  A  spark  lingered  in  the 
wick.  She  uttered  a  swift  prayer,  "  I^ord,  help,"  when 
straightway  a  warm  breath  from  above  rekindled  it. 
The  evil  spirit  blew  it  out  again ;  another  swift  prayer 
and  the  warm  breath  again  rekindled  it.  And  so  on 
until  she  reached  the  oratory.  It  is  the  parable  of  an 
earnest  life.  We  are  on  the  way  to  heaven.  The  night 
is  dark.  Pray  without  ceasing.  Depend  on  the  lantern 
only  so  long  as  the  light  is  in  it  from  above. 

So  at  last  heaven's  gate  will  be  reached.  Once  there, 
no  more  sin,  no  more  struggling,  no  more  bewilderment 
at  the  cross-roads.  Jacob  wrestled  all  night.  He  had  to 
reckon  with  God  as  well  as  with  his  brother.  Having 
done  that,  God  went  with  him  to  his  wronged  brother  and 
all  was  well.  The  struggle  goes  on  within  until  we  know 
our  own  weakness  and  the  strength  of  God. 


XXIX 
GOOD   OUT   OF   NAZARETH 


Can  any  good  thing  come  out  of  Nazareth  ? 

—John  i :  i6. 


AND  why  not  ?  It  was  a  town  so  beautiful  for  situa- 
,  tion  that  it  was  called  ' '  a  pearl  in  a  casket  of 
H^^  emeralds."  It  stood  in  a  fruitful  valley  in  the 
Galilean  highways,  encircled  in  a  belt  of 
rounded  hills.  In  the  foreground  were  gardens  enclosed 
by  cadtus  hedges,  with  here  and  there  a  pasture,  or  a  grain 
field,  or  a  grove  of  venerable  olive-trees.  Beyond,  be- 
yond, and  yet  beyond  were  the  everlasting  mountains : 
the  long  range  of  Carmel  traversed  by  the  shadows  of  the 
hurrying  clouds  ;  Gilead,  with  its  rugged  limestone  cliffs  ; 
Hermon,  crowned  with  a  green  garland,  and  towering 
aloft,  like  Saul,  among  the  prophets. 

If  the  religion  of  nature  were  sufficient,  surely  those 
who  lived  in  the  midst  of  this  beauty  of  the  valleys  and 
this  sublime  glory  of  the  mountains  should  have  been  dis- 
tinguished for  holy  charadler. 

Alas  !  it  was  not  so.  The  people  of  Nazareth  "were 
sinners  above  all  the  Galileans. ' '  Nazareth  was  a  hiss- 
ing and  a  byword,  proverbial  for  wickedness.  "Can 
any  good  thing  come  out  of  Nazareth  ?  ' ' 

This  fair  question  received  a  fair  answer  :  ' '  Come  and 
see. ' ' 

Come  and  see  what?  Jesus  Christ,  the  best  thing 
heaven  or  earth  ever  saw. 

142 


GOOD    OUT  OF  NAZARETH  143 

Nazareth  was  not  a  good  place  for  the  training  of  one 
intending  to  build  up  character  and  make  his  life  tell. 

I.    THERE  WAS  SO   LITTLE   ROOM 

It  was  shut  in  among  the  mountains.  It  seemed 
scarcely  a  part  of  the  nois3^  world. 

Many  a  country  youth  is  impatient  of  his  limited  sur- 
roundings. He  longs  for  a  larger  place.  He  wants  to  be 
in  the  turmoil  of  the  madding  crowd. 

But  there  is  much  to  be  said  in  favor  of  cramped  envi- 
ronments. 

Look,  for  example,  at  the  lonely  exile  of  Patmos. 
John  may  have  gazed  longingly  toward  the  west,  where 
the  Roman  Christians  had  large  scope  for  their  abilities. 
Or  he  may  have  looked  toward  the  east,  where  his  breth- 
ren were  laboring  in  the  populous  city  of  Ephesus.  John 
was  "  cribbed,  cabined,  and  confined."  But  God  spoke 
to  him  there,  and  through  him  to  the  world. 

It  was  so  also  with  Madam  Guy  on  in  the  Bastile.  But 
all  God's  people  are  grateful  for  the  song  she  sang  there  : 

"  A  little  bird  am   I, 

Shut  in  from  fields  of  air  ; 
But  in  my  cage  I  sit  and  sing 

To  Him  who  placed  me  there  ; 
Well  pleased  a  prisoner  to  be 
Since,  O  my  God  !  it  pleaseth  thee." 

John  Bunyan's  dungeon  illuminated  the  world.  The 
secret  of  all  narrow  or  wide  places  is  to  be  useful  and  to 
make  the  best  of  what  is. 

When  lyouis  XIV.  asked  Colbert  why,  with  all  the  re- 
sources of  his  kingdom,  he  had  not  conquered  that  little 
country  by  the  Zuyder  Zee,  he  replied  :  "  The  people  are 
so  much  greater  than  their  land." 


144  A    QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

If  our  field  of  usefulness  is  narrow,  be  sure  that  we  fill 
it.     Don't  complain. 

II.  NAZARETH   WAS  NO  PLACE  FOR  EQUIPMENT 

The  boy  Jesus  doubtless  longed  for  better  facilities. 
There  were  the  famous  schools  of  Athens — the  Garden, 
the  Academy,  the  Painted  Porch.  There  was  the  splendid 
university  of  Alexandria,  where  Greek  and  Oriental  cul- 
ture were  taught ;  and  down  in  Jerusalem  were  the 
rival  schools  of  Hillel  and  Shammai.  But  this  lad  must 
remain  in  Nazareth,  the  humble  cottage  for  his  univer- 
sity, the  Old  Testament  Scriptures  for  his  library,  and 
Mary  his  only  teacher,  unless,  perchance,  he  was  per- 
mitted between  his  tasks  to  attend  the  rabbinical  school. 

The  ambition  of  an  American  boy  is  to  go  to  college. 

Sometimes,  however,  boys  without  a  college  education 
develop  into  thorough  men. 

In  Spencer  County,  Indiana,  in  1816,  there  was  a  lad 
transported  with  delight  because  of  an  offer  of  six  dol- 
lars a  month  for  rowing  the  ferry  over  Anderson's  Creek. 
He  bought  Plutarch's  "  lyives  "  with  his  first  earnings. 
He  read  these  in  the  early  mornings  by  the  light  of  a 
pine  torch.  He  had  but  one  year's  schooling  altogether; 
yet  he  became  a  liberally  educated  man,  and  finally  steered 
the  Ship  of  State  through  the  troubled  sea  of  the  Civil 
War. 

All  worthy  men  are  self-made  men.  The  only  differ- 
ence is  that  some  work  out  their  destiny  with  slenderer 
materials  than  others. 

In  a  recent  Japanese  exhibit  was  a  pagoda  carved  out 
of  ivory.  It  was  not  more  beautiful  than  other  produdts 
of  Oriental  art,  yet  it  attradted  general  attention  because 
it  had  been  carved  with  a  bent  nail. 


GOOD    OUT  OF  NAZARETH  145 

In  the  great  university  of  On  a  lad  was  envied  because 
he  was  the  adopted  son  of  Pharaoh's  daughter.  He 
became  very  learned,  but  he  got  his  working  capital 
down  in  the  desert  of  Midian.  Here,  watching  flocks  of 
sheep,  he  looked  on  the  mountains  about  him,  the  starry 
heavens  above  him,  through  long  days  of  meditation  in 
the  still  pastures.  Then  he  was  permitted  to  behold  the 
miracle  of  the  burning  bush  and  the  solitude  broken  by 
the  voice  of  God.  And  all  this  experience  is  what  really 
made  the  great  man  Moses. 

III.  JESUS  FOUND  NO  PATRONAGE  IN  NAZARETH 

His  townsmen  did  not  sympathize  with  Him.  His 
brethren  did  not  believe  in  Him.  He  had  only  the  confi- 
dence of  His  mother.  But  He  plodded  on  and  kept  His 
own  counsel. 

In  a  little  town  in  Germany  a  lad  was  born  with  a  soul 
for  music.  His  father  combined  the  diverse  occupations 
of  barber  and  surgeon  to  the  Elector  of  Saxony.  He 
intended  his  son  to  study  law.  With  the  complicity  of 
his  aunt  the  boy  smuggled  a  weak-voiced  spinet  into  his 
attic,  and  there  he  spent  his  solitary  hours.  At  eight 
years  of  age  he  was  taken  by  his  father  for  a  visit  to  the 
castle  of  Saxe-Weissenfels.  While  his  father  was  con- 
versing with  the  duke,  he  stole  away  to  the  chapel. 
When  they  sought  him  there  he  sat  upon  the  organ  stool, 
like  a  brownie  with  dangling  feet,  in  a  very  heaven  of 
melody.  In  after  years  he  wrote  the  oratorio  of  ' '  The 
Messiah. ' ' 

So  the  noblest  spirits  sometimes  flourish  in  uncongenial 
soil.  Potted  plants  have  to  be  content  with  vSmall  stature. 
Trees  boxed  up  and  coddled  never  amount  to  much.  The 
oak  takes  care  of  itself  ;  it  grasps  the  rock  and  subsi- 


146  A    QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

dizes  the  soil  ;  it  throws  out  its  mighty  arms  to  winds 
and  tempests — 

"  Hurrah  for  the  oak,  the  brave  old  oak  ! 
Who  stands  in  his  pride  alone  ; 
And  still  flourish  he,  a  hale  green   tree, 
When  a  hundred  years  are  gone." 

Charadler  is  bred  amid  storms.  Noble  souls  in  cramped- 
up  Nazareths  ! 

IV.   THERE  WERE  ADVERSITIES  IN  NAZARETH 

Jesus  was  poor.  He  knew  what  afflidlion  meant ;  for 
it  would  appear  that  Joseph  died  during  this  period. 
Home  was  left  desolate.  It  was  a  Jewish  custom  in  such 
a  case  for  the  oldest  son  to  provide  for  the  family. 

Trials  are  profitable. 

The  rough  diamond  cried  out  under  the  blow  of  the 
lapidary  :   "I  am  content,  let  me  alone. ' ' 

But  the  artizan  said,  as  he  struck  another  blow : 
' '  There  is  the  making  of  a  glorious  thing  in  thee. ' ' 

*'  But  every  blow  pierces  my  heart  ! ' ' 

"Ay;  but  after  a  little  it  shall  work  for  thee  a  far 
more  exceeding  weight  of  glory." 

"I  can  not  understand,"  as  blow  fell  upon  blow, 
"why  I  should  suffer  in  this  way." 

"  Wait;  what  thou  knowest  not  now,  thou  shalt  know 
hereafter. ' ' 

And  out  of  all  this  came  the  famous  Koh-i-noor  to 
sparkle  in  the  monarch's  crown. 

Then  there  was  the  hard  work  for  Jesus  in  the  shop. 

Poor  outlook  for  ambition  this  ! 

But  wait  patiently  and  see  what  will  become  of  it  all. 

Hard   conditions  sometimes    oppress   the    noblest    of 


GOOD   OUT  OF  NAZARETH  U7 

minds.  The  pathetic  story  of  Charles  Lamb  and  his 
sister  Mary  is  a  famihar  one.  In  a  fit  of  frenzy  Mary 
killed  her  mother.  From  that  moment  Charles  gave  up 
his  fondest  dreams  and  took  care  of  her.  When  she 
felt  the  spasms  of  insanity  coming  upon  her,  they  would 
go  arm  in  arm  to  the  asylum  at  Hoxton,  both  weeping  as 
they  went,  and  he  carrying  the  strait-jacket  in  his 
hand.  A  hundred  pounds  was  his  annual  income,  and 
for  forty  years  he  shared  it  with  her.  Here  was  a  simple, 
uneventful  life,  yet  splendidly  heroic. 
Jesus  for  our  sakes  became  poor. 

V.  SIN  WAS  THE  DISCOURAGING  FEATURE  IN 
NAZARETH 

The  air  was  filled  with  the  discordant  sounds  of  blas- 
phemy and  uncleanness. 

Altho  Jesus  was  in  Nazareth,  He  was  not  of  it. 

A  man  may  be  superior  to  his  environment.  As  some 
one  has  said,  we  may  not  hinder  the  bird  flying  over  our 
head,  but  we  can  prevent  it  building  its  nest  in  our  hair. 

Jesus  had  the  advantage  of  us  in  that  He  was  Divine. 
Sin  has  invaded  our  nature,  yet  it  may  be  overcome  by 
spiritual  growth. 

I.  Calvary  vieets  sin  and  destroys  zV.— Before  Calvary 
was  reached  Jesus  symbolized  our  condition  by  the  de- 
strudlion  of  darkness  in  blind  Bartimeus's  eyes.  It  was 
almost  worth  while  being  blind  to  experience  the  change 
that  took  place.  What  a  glory  was  revealed  to  the  man  ! 
What  wonderment  !  What  ecstacy  of  soul  !  He  saw  the 
hillsides,  the  heavens  above  him,  and,  more  than  all,  the 
face  of  Jesus.  Here  was  a  new  world  opened  to  him. 
His  wildest  imaginings  were  realized.  When  Calvary 
destroys  our  spiritual  darkness,  heavenly  light  takes  its 


148  A    QUIVER  OF  ARROWS 

place  ;  and  then  is  revealed  that  new  life  in  a  new  world 
of  experience  that  must  be  felt  to  know  it. 

2.  Triumph  over  sin. — When  Pompey  returned  from 
his  Eastern  conquests  there  was  a  line  of  barbaric  kings 
who,  in  chains,  were  dragged  at  his  chariot  wheels.  So 
at  last  we  will  triumphantly  go  to  heaven's  gate  dragging 
our  lusts  and  passions  and  vanquished  habits  in  chains. 

As  a  reward  we  have  the  promise  of  the  white  stone, 
the  new  name  upon  it,  the  tree  of  life,  and  a  place  on  the 
throne  beside  the  King. 

' '  Can  any  good  thing  come  out  of  Nazareth  ? ' '  Jesus 
is  the  answer. 

Meanwhile,  adversity,  suffering,  trial,  afflidlion,  be- 
reavement, are  all  made  tributary  to  ideal  character 
under  the  control  and  guidance  of  this  marvelous  man  of 
Nazareth. 


XXX 

SAUL  AT  THE  WITCH'S  CAVE 

Then  said  Saul  unto  his  servants,  Seek  me  a 
woman  that  hath  a  familiar  spirit,  that  I  may 
go  to  her,  and  inquire  of  her.  And  his  servants 
said  to  him,  Behold,  there  is  a  woman  that  hath 
a  familiar  spirit  at  En-dor. 

— I.  Samuel  xxviii ;  7. 

[^TT*  HBRS  is  little  vital  characfter  in  the  ordinary  pho- 
l  'i  J  tograph,  because  it  is  taken  at  a  single  sitting. 
IAJ^iSb  The  composite  photograph  of  picftures  taken  at 
different  ages  gives  the  best  impression  of  the 
real  man.  The  true  charadler  of  Saul  appears  at  differ- 
ent periods  of  his  life. 

We  get  the  first  glimpse  of  him  on  the  mountain  seek- 
ing strayed  animals  from  the  farm.  He  is  good-looking, 
and  reminds  us  of  John  Ridd  in  "  Lorna  Doone."  Com- 
ing across  the  prophet  Samuel,  he  makes  inquiry  of  him. 
Samuel  tells  him  that  they  are  found.  He  tells  him  also 
that  Israel  would  have  him  for  their  king. 

"We  next  see  him  at  college.  He  gets  polished.  His 
characfter  is  changed — as  we  would  say,  converted.  He 
had  a  noteworthy  experience  coming  down  the  mountain 
when  the  Spirit  of  the  lyord  came  upon  him. 

Next  at  Mizpeh.  It  was  eledlion  day.  Saul  was 
elected,  and  all  the  people  shouted,  ' '  God  save  the  King  !" 

His  first  kingly  adl  was  when  he  led  the  army  against 
the  Ammonites  and  won  a  remarkable  vidtory. 

He  then  took  his  proper  place  in  the  palace.  He  was 
just,  resolute,  and  ruled  in  equity. 

149 


150  A    QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

His  cabinet  consisted  of  Samuel  as  chaplain,  Abner  as 
secretary  of  war,  Abiathar  as  high  priest,  and  David  as 
lieutenant  and  confidential  friend.  His  reign  for  a  time 
was  satisfadtory  and  successful. 

A  change  takes  place.  He  gives  way  to  his  passions 
and  eccentric  impulses.  He  became  envious  and  jealous, 
cruel  and  vindidtive.  He  tried  to  kill  David  and  mas- 
sacred priests.  He  seemed  possessed  of  an  evil  spirit, 
for  he  rejedled  Divine  counsels  and  admonitions. 

His  condudt  brought  on  a  national  crisis.  The  Philis- 
tines appear  on  the  old  battle-ground  of  Esdraelon.  The 
king  is  perplexed.  What  now  of  his  prized  counsellors  ? 
Saul  is  dead,  Abiathar  has  gone  away  from  him.  The 
priests,  outraged  at  the  massacre  of  their  brethren,  have 
forsaken  him.  The  chill  shadow  of  coming  disaster  has 
fallen  upon  him.  He  can  not  go  into  this  battle  with 
Divine  support,  so  he  seeks  a  witch  to  diredt  him.  What 
a  change  from  God  to  a  witch  !  And  what  a  lamentable 
decay  of  charadler  !  But  so  it  ever  has  been  and  ever 
will  be  when  people  leave  God  out  of  their  plans  and 
take  things  into  their  own  hands. 

What  is  the  lesson  for  us  ?     Notice  : 

I.   THE  PROBATIONARY  CHARACTER  OF  LIFE 

Saul  was  on  trial.  As  king  he  had  tasks  to  perform 
and  responsibilities  to  meet.  For  the  discharge  of  these 
he  required  certain  gifts  and  endowments.  God  provided 
both.  If  God  was  ever  patient  with  any  man  He  was 
with  Saul.  Saul  had  wise  counsellors,  who  warned  and 
entreated.     He  had  a  fair  chance  of  success. 

So  have  we  all.  A  fighting  chance  !  No  more,  no 
less.  Circumstances  are  mostly  against  us.  But  it  is  a 
mark  of  true  greatness  to  rise  superior  to  environment. 


SAUL  AT   THE    WITCH'S   CAVE  151 

To  triumph  means  charadler  and  usefulness ;  to  yield, 
loss  of  manhood  and  exile  from  God. 

II.   OBEDIENCE 

This  is  the  touchstone  of  spiritual  success.  The  better 
life  excludes  sinfulness. 

Saul  was  determined  to  have  his  own  way.  He  had  it, 
and  with  it  ruin. 

The  turning-point  in  his  life  was  when  he  disobeyed 
God  in  the  campaign  against  the  Amalekites.  He 
obeyed  in  part  only,  and  told  his  chaplain  a  lie  about  it. 
A  small  beginning  ;  but  oh  !  what  a  wide  and  destrudlive 
ending  ! 

The  beginning  of  a  better  life  is  obedience  through  and 
through.  "My  son,  give  me  thine  heart."  All  or 
nothing  !  No  wilfulness  nor  reseri^ation  of  mind,  no 
half-heartedness.  ' '  Whatsoever  He  saith  unto  you, 
doit." 

III.    GRIEVING  THE   SPIRIT 

We  grieve  our  friends  by  repeated  slights,  affronts,  and 
inattentions.  This  is  likely  to  end  in  separation.  Our 
best  friend  is  the  Holy  Spirit.  He  is  grieved  when  we 
refuse  His  invitations  and  admonitions.  Habitual  dis- 
obedience, worldliness,  negledl  of  duty,  and  persistence 
in  sin  grieve  Him.  And  what  is  the  outcome  of  it  ? 
Coldness  of  heart,  discomfort,  self-accusation,  and  depart- 
ure further  and  further  from  God;  then  misery  and  hope- 
lessness,    lyike  Saul,  we  feel  forsaken  and  alone. 

IV.  RELIGIOUS  DECLINE 

We  must  have  some  sort  of  religion.  The  soul  craves 
it.  If  not  God,  then  the  Witch  of  En-dor.  If  not  the 
sandluary,   then  the  cave.     The  soul's  thirst  must    be 


152  A   QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

slaked  at  ' '  the  river  of  life  "  or  at  the  pools  by  the 
wayside. 

Whither  in  our  wandering  ?  To  atheism  ?  The  fool 
only  says  "  There  is  no  God." 

To  rationalism  ?  As  well  take  no  chart  on  the  voyage 
as  no  revelation  to  the  next  life.  It  is  like  a  man  lost  on 
the  prairie  with  no  landmarks  anywhere,  without  a  foot- 
print except  his  own. 

To  agnosticism  ?  We  begin  by  doubting  and  end  by 
saying:  "I  don't  know.  There  may  be  a  God,  but  I 
can  not  see  him;  a  future  life,  but  no  one  has  come  back 
to  tell  us  about  it;  a  true  revelation,  but  there's  a  differ- 
ence of  opinion.  I  am  not  wise  enough  to  decide. ' '  So 
we  find  ourselves  like  the  eyeless  fish  of  the  cave  that 
have  nothing  but  scars  to  show  that  they  once  could  see. 

To  some  form  of  superstition  ?  Saul  was  a  spiritualist. 
Danger  lies  that  way. 

I  had  a  schoolmate  once,  the  son  of  a  clergyman, 
taught  by  a  Christian  mother  to  receive  the  simple  truths 
of  the  Gospel,  who,  as  time  passed,  followed  his  own  in- 
cUnations  and  went  into  the  witch's  cave.  He  deemed 
himself  a  profound  thinker,  and  asserted  that  he  had 
found  a  philosophy  better  than  that  of  the  Gospel.  He 
finished  his  course  by  assassinating  President  Garfield. 
He  excused  himself  by  saying  that  he  was  under  the  con- 
trol of  a  supernatural  influence. 

The  danger-point  is  at  the  divergence  of  the  paths. 
The  star  that  swings  out  of  its  orbit  a  single  inch  is  lost 
forever  in  infinite  space.  God,  the  Bible,  the  Holy 
Spirit  mark  the  appointed  route  of  a  Christian  life. 

The  Christian  system  is  like  a  chain  :  lose  a  link  and 
the  chain  is  broken.  We  do  not  believe  at  all  if  we  be- 
lieve with  a  reservation.     Oh,  the  folly  of  it,   to  place 


SAUL  AT   THE    WITCH'S  CAVE  153 

one's  own  heart  and  reason  over  against  Divine  au- 
thority ! 

What  an  ending  was  King  Saul's  !  On  the  heights  of 
Gilboa  he  meets  the  Philistines.  He  is  in  the  midst  of  a 
shower  of  arrows,  desperation  in  his  face,  despair  in  his 
heart.  He  was  driven  up  the  hill,  and  there  he  stood  at 
bay.  His  three  sons  had  been  slain,  his  armor-bearer  lay 
dead  at  his  feet ;  he  leaned  heavily  on  his  spear,  weak 
from  the  loss  of  blood  from  a  self-inflidted  wound.  He 
reeled  and  fell.  Next  morning  his  armor  was  fastened 
above  the  pagan  altar  of  Ashtaroth,  and  his  headless  body 
impaled  on  the  walls  of  Beth-shan,  like  a  captured  bird 
of  prey. 

A  pidlure  by  an  American  artist  in  the  Luxembourg  at- 
tracted great  attention.  It  was  called  "The  Return." 
A  wanderer  in  rags  and  tatters  has  come  home.  In  hope- 
less anguish  he  kneels  by  the  side  of  a  high  bed  whereon 
his  father  lay  dead.  Too  late  !  too  late !  It  is  not 
true,  the  Father  never  dies. 

Then  get  back  to  the  first  love,  to  covenant  vows,  to 
the  old-fashioned  Book,  and  to  communion  with  an  all- 
wise  and  forgiving  God  ;  for  His  hands  are  stretched  out 
wide  to  receive  all  who  come. 

' '  I  have  no  pleasure  in  the  death  of  the  wicked. ' ' 


XXXI 

ESTHER   IN   SHUSHAN 


I  will  go  unto  the  king. 

— Esther  iv  :  i5. 


TkJ   OTABLE  dignitaries  pass  before  us  as  in  a  pano- 

£3-       rama  ;  King  Ahasuerus,  known  to  us  as  Xerxes 

fe^^i      the  Great,  who  lashed  the  sea  because  it  would 

not  obey  him  ;  Esther,  the  beautiful  queen  and 

savior  of  a  nation  ;  Haman,  the  villian  who  was  court 

favorite  for  a  while  ;  Mordecai,  the  mighty  pleader. 

There  is  lamentation  among  the  Jews.  They  are  to  be 
slain  wherever  found.  The  time  is  set  for  the  fearful 
slaughter. 

Mordecai,  uncle  of  the  queen,  attradls  her  attention  and 
informs  her  of  the  coming  calamity,  and  urges  her  inter- 
ference. Vain  are  her  protestations.  The  king  is  at  his 
revels.  To  approach  him  uninvited  is  death.  No  matter  ; 
the  fate  of  a  nation  depends  upon  her.  ' '  Who  knoweth 
but  thou  art  come  to  the  kingdom  for  such  a  time  as  this  ?' ' 
She  pleads,  resists,  and  yields.  ' '  I  will  go  in  unto  the 
king,  and  if  I  perish  I  perish. ' ' 

The  hour  is  come.  She  dresses  herself  in  her  royal 
robes,  commits  herself  into  the  hands  of  a  good  and  just 
God,  approaches  the  banqueting-hall,  hesitates  at  the 
door,  then,  with  a  courage  befitting  the  occasion,  enters. 
The  courtiers  are  amazed,  but  the  king  could  not  resist 
one  beautiful  as  an  angel.  He  holds  out  the  golden 
scepter  and  says  :    "What  wilt  thou,  Queen  Esther?    It 

154 


ESTHER  IN  SHUSHAN  155 

shall  be  done  unto  thee,  even  to  the  half  of  my  king- 
dom."    The  crisis  is  past.     Israel  is  saved  ! 

What  does  this  mean  to  us  ?  The  glory  of  intercession. 
All  men  without  Christ  are  under  the  sentence  of  death. 
"The  soul  that  sinneth,  it  shall  die." 

Observe : 

I.   THE   SUPPLIANT  QUEEN 

Noble  attitude  !  Personal  salvation  is  all  important. 
Do  the  first  thing  first.  Then  seek  the  salvation  of  others. 
The  Publican  sought  salvation  on  bended  knee  and  cried: 
"God  be  merciful  to  me,  a  sinner."  He  was  saved. 
The  scarred  hands  of  Jesus  are  stretched  out  to  all  such. 

If  this  were  all,  religion  would  be  a  selfish  thing.  The 
captain  of  the  Algo?ia,  discharged  from  service,  is  hid- 
ing shamefaced  somewhere.  His  ship  went  down,  and 
forty-eight  of  his  crew  and  passengers  went  down  with 
it ;  but  he  swam  ashore  !  Even  tlio  a  man  may  come  to 
heaven  in  that  way,  he  is  saved  as  by  fire.  No  sheaf 
from  the  harvest.     No  star  in  the  crown. 

We  have  power  to  convert.  Stupendous  thought  ! 
' '  He  that  converteth  a  sinner  from  the  error  of  his  way 
shall  save  a  soul  from  death."     How? 

1 .  By  seasonable  words. 

2.  By  example. 

3.  By  hitercessory  prayer. — Moses  was  never  so  great 
as  when  on  his  knees.  ' '  This  people  have  sinned  .  .  . 
forgive  them."  Nor  Hezekiah,  when  he  begged  for  the 
deliverance  of  his  people  from  Sennacherib.  Nor  Paul — 
' '  I  wish  that  myself  were  accursed  from  Christ  for  my 
brethren."  Listen  at  the  door  of  John  Knox  and  hear 
him  cry  :  ' '  Give  me  Scotland  or  I  die. ' '  Wives,  save 
your  husbands.  Parents,  save  your  children.  Young 
men,  save  your  comrades.     Friend,  save  your  neighbor. 


156  A    QUIVER    OF  ARROWS 

II.  THE    OUTSTRETCHED   SCEPTER  OF  THE   KING 
God  is  as  willing  to  answer  prayer  as  this  Persian  king. 
We  pray  for  ourselves  with  faith,  for  our  friends  with 
misgiving. 

1.  We  are  eiicouraged  by  great  promises. — No  limita- 
tions are  put  on  prayer.  ' '  Ask  and  it  shall  be  given 
you."  Rizpah  sat  with  bludgeon  in  hand  and  fire  in 
heart  to  keep  off  the  beasts  of  the  field  from  devouring 
the  bodies  of  her  sons.  Why  not  watch  for  spiritual  ene- 
mies and  ward  them  off  from  the  souls  Christ  came  to 
save? 

2.  We  are  encouraged  from  the  life  of  Christ. — He 
granted  the  request  of  Jairus  and  restored  his  daughters  ; 
of  the  Syrophenician  woman — "  Be  it  unto  thee  even  as 
thou  wilt  "  ;  of  the  four  friends  who  brought  the  paralytic 
to  Him,  for  He  healed  the  man  and  forgave  his  sins  ;  of 
the  widow  of  Nain,  whose  tears  were  her  praj'-ers,  for  her 
dead  son  came  back  to  life.  Did  any  one  ever  come  to 
Him  without  healing  ?  ' '  Jesus  Christ  is  the  same  yes- 
terday, to-day,  and  forever." 

3.  We  are  encouraged  from  His  ow7i  intercessory  prayer. 
— What  were  His  outstretched  hands  on  the  cross  but- 
intercessory  prayer  ?  What  is  He  doing  now  at  the  right 
hand  of  God  but  interceding  as  an  advocate  for  His 
people  ? 

A  legend  says  that  the  angel  Sandalphon  waits  at  the 
outermost  gates  of  heaven  with  his  feet  on  a  ladder  of 
light,  listening.  The  songs  of  the  multitude  within  do 
not  tempt  him.  Music  and  laughter  are  all  about  him, 
yet  he  heeds  them  not.  But  he  does  hear  the  mother's 
cry  for  her  wayward  son,  the  sob  of  a  burdened,  bleeding 
heart,  and  bears  them  aloft,  lays  them  before  the  throne, 
and  they  turn  to  garlands  at  the  feet  of  God. 


ESTHER  IN  SHUSHAN  157 

III.   THE   SEQUEL 

Hainan  is  hanged.  The  Israelites  are  saved.  One 
home  is  in  mourning.  Multitudes  of  other  homes  are 
filled  with  music  and  laughter.  Joy  follows  in  the  wake 
of  toil  and  prayer. 

Jesus  said  that  it  was  His  meat  and  drink  to  do  the 
will  of  His  Father.  He  proved  the  truth  of  this  saying 
at  the  well  of  Sychar.  Weary,  hungry,  and  thirsty,  He 
sat  on  the  curb  of  the  well.  A  woman  came  to  draw 
water.  He  forgot  His  fatigue.  His  hunger,  and  His 
thirst  to  save  that  woman.  The  townspeople  came  out  to 
hear  Him,  and  there  was  a  wonderful  change  in  Samaria 
after  that.  The  nobler  passion  had  gotten  the  upper 
hand.     The  joy  of  the  Lord  makes  a  heaven  on  earth. 

At  the  close  of  the  Civil  War,  when  Lincoln  visited 
Richmond,  the  slaves  loosed  the  horses  from  his  carriage 
and  drew  it  through  the  streets,  crying,  ' '  God  bless 
Massa  Lincoln  ! ' '  There  were  men  among  them  whose 
backs  were  scarred  in  a  lifetime  of  bondage,  and  he  was 
their  deliverer.  So  Christ  came  to  give  liberty  to  the 
captive  and  the  opening  of  the  prison  doors  to  them  that 
are  bound. 

It  would  be  a  pitiable  sight  to  stand  at  heaven's  gate 
and  see  a  man  going  in  all  alone.  Himself  saved,  but  no 
souls  from  all  the  multitude  below  brought  along  with 
him.  Saved,  but  no  trophies  for  faithfulness.  On  the 
other  hand,  what  a  contrast  when  one  comes  in  greeted 
with  halleluiahs  and  warm  hand-shaking  ! 

Let  us  cease  our  selfishness  and  busy  ourselves  with 
soul  saving.     It  will  pay  both  here  and  hereafter. 


XXXII 

BUSINESS 


wist  ye  not  that  I  must  be  about  my  Father's 
business  ? 

— I<UKE  ii  :  49. 


EVERY   man  must  have  some  occupation  in  order 
^^1        to  be  honest  and  true  to  himself. 
^^j  Jacob  was  able  to  tell  Pharaoh  what  his  busi- 

ness was. 
Jonah,  when  caught  in  a  storm  at  sea,  had  nothing  to 
do;  therefore,  got  into  trouble. 

Jesus  could  say  that  He  got  His  living  as  a  carpenter, 
but  His  chief  business  was  to  do  His  Father's  will. 
The  Christian  should  be  able  to  speak  in  the  same  way. 
Sydney  Smith  spoke  derisively  of  William  Carey  as  the 
"  consecrated  cobbler;  "  but  Carey  said  of  himself  that 
it  was  true  that  he  cobbled  shoes  for  a  living,  but  his 
real  business  was  to  serve  Christ. 

1.  U7iderstand  the  relation  of  spiritual  things  to  secular. 
— We  too  often  waste  our  energy  on  secular  affairs,  and 
put  God  off  with  what  Shakespeare  calls  "our  super- 
flux."  We  tire  ourselves  out,  and  then  excuse  ourselves 
accordingly  from  the  larger  duties  of  life.  Whereas,  the 
injundlion  is  :  "  First  seek  the  Kingdom  of  God." 

2.  Understand  otir  perso7ial  relatio7t  to  the  Kingdom. — 
Much  is  said  against  the  poor,  backsliding,  indolent, 
recreant  Church.  Man,  let  the  Church  alone  and  look 
to  yourself!  The  Church  is  just  what  such  as  you  and 
I  make  it.     There  is  gold  enough  in  Klondike  for  all 

158 


BUSINESS  159 

seekers;  the  tiling  to  do  is  for  each  to  get  his  portion 
of  it. 

A  theological  student  at  Andover  went  to  his  professor 
to  inquire  for  some  one  to  saw  his  wood  for  him;  the 
professor  offered  to  do  it.  To  succeed,  a  man  must  saw 
his  own  wood,  hold  his  own  plow-handles.  You  can  not 
farm  out  your  responsibility  to  the  ministers  and  the 
elders. 

Now,  with  a  clear  understanding  of  our  business,  let 
us  observe  the  maxims  applied  to  common  industry: 

I.   BE   PROMPT 

Operatives  are  prompt  at  the  ringing  of  the  fadlory 
bells.  How  is  it  at  the  ringing  of  the  church  bells  ?  An 
overcast  sky  will  suffice  as  an  excuse  to  keep  some  peo- 
ple from  church. 

Politicians  and  bank  diredlors  are  on  hand  at  the  hour 
appointed.  Why  not  at  church?  At  prayer-meeting? 
At  the  business  sessions  of  the  church  ?  Why  should  the 
Sunday-school  teacher  play  fast  and  loose  with  his  re- 
sponsibility ?  Why  should  the  world  be  imperative  and 
the  church  subjundtive? 

II.   BE   ENTHUSIASTIC 

The  enthusiast  in  business  is  the  winner.  The  same 
enthusiasm  displayed  by  the  Christian  would  be  called 
fanaticism.  Christ  was  too  busy  to  eat,  tho  hungry,  at 
the  well.     He  was  saving  a  soul. 

So  Paul.  Tho  pressed  with  chains  and  a  prisoner,  he 
sought  the  salvation  of  his  judges.  Good  fishermen  do 
not  sit  idly  by  when  the  Master  says,  "Let  down  your 
nets. ' '  Were  Christians  enthusiasts  their  sincerity  would 
not  be  doubted. 


160  A  QUI V EI?   OF  ARJiOWS 

III.   BE  IN  HASTE 

The  King's  business  requires  it.  In  the  time  of  King 
Henry  III.  letters  bore  the  pidure  of  a  post-boy  swinging 
from  a  gallows  tree,  with  the  legend  :  "Haste,  post,  haste 
for  thy  life."  Christians  bear  a  message  of  tremendous 
import,  and  should  not  loiter  on  the  way. 

Among  Moody's  converts  in  London  were  two  brothers 
who  consulted  as  to  the  third,  who  lived  in  Queenstown. 
They  sent  a  despatch  :  ' '  Come  at  once  ;  business  of  great 
importance."  When  he  arrived,  they  gave  him  no  peace 
till  he,  too,  accepted  Christ.     This  is  business. 

IV.   BE  DELIBERATE 

John  Wesley  used  to  say  :  ' '  Let  me  be  ever  in  haste, 
but  never  in  a  hurry. ' '  The  fire  department  answers  the 
alarm  with  alacrity.  In  the  multitude  of  affairs  take  time 
to  pray,  to  read  the  Bible,  and  to  meditate.  It  will  pre- 
pare 5^ou  for  all  matters  of  importance,  and  to  make  the 
most  of  your  opportunity.  Nothing  is  gained  by  being 
fussy.     Impetuosity  is  a  hindrance  always. 

V.    BE   PRACTICAL 

Voltaire  said  of  his  friend  La  Harpe  :  '  *  He  is  like  an 
oven  always  hot,  yet  never  cooking  anything. ' '  Castles 
in  the  air  are  of  no  account.     You  can  not  live  in  them. 

"  Are  you  in  earnest?     Seize  this  very  minute  ! 
What  you  can  do,  or  dream  you  can,  begin  it." 

VI.   BE   PROGRESSIVE 

A  successful  man  is  never  satisfied.     He  stretches  out 
Briarean  hands  for  more. 
The  last  man  in  the  world  to  be  satisfied  is  the  Chris- 


BUSINESS  161 

tian.     So  much  to  be  done  !     So  many  doors  open  for 
service  ! 

Add  one  Christian  grace  to  another  daily.  Aim  at  pro- 
motion. There  is  always  room  at  the  top.  The  rabbis 
say  that  an  angel  came  to  Methuselah,  commanding  him 
to  build  a  house  for  himself,  since  he  had  five  hundred 
years  yet  to  live.  He  replied:  "  If  I  am  to  hve  only 
five  hundred  years,  it  is  scarcely  worth  while  to  build  a 
house." 

Move  on  and  up.     Be  better  to-morrow  than  to-day. 
VII.  BE  PERSISTENT 

Hold  on!     Holdfast!     Holdout!     Brush  discourage- 
ment aside.     Faith  is  the  mother  of  patience,  and  this 
virtue  IS  needed  in  work.     Christopher  Wren  was  sicklv 
when  a  lad,  and  the  doctors  said  that  he  would  not  live 
long.     But   he   had  conceived   the    idea   of    building   a 
cathedrah     In  his  young  imagination  he  saw  the  fabric 
completed.     He  could  not   die  till   he  had   realized  his 
hopes^    For  thirty-five  years  his  frail  body  lived  on  hope  • 
then  St.  Paul's  was  finished.     This  is  to  live      This  is 
success.     All  else  is  failure.     "  Be  thou  faithful  over  a 
few  things  and  I  will  make  thee  ruler  of  many  things  " 
Come  up  higher. "  ^  «=.  . 


XXXIII 


CHOOSING  A   FRIEND 

He  that  hath  friends  must  show  himself  friendly; 
and  there  is  a  friend  that  sticketh  closer  than  a 
brother. 

—Proverbs   xviii :  24. 


HS  new  version  has  it  :  "  He  that  maketh  many- 
friends  doeth  it  to  his  own  destrudlion. " 
Christ  said  the  same  thing  in  another  form  : 
* '  Woe  unto  you  when  all  men  speak  well  of 
you."  The  downright  man,  however,  has  enemies  as 
well  as  friends. 

Carlylesays:  "  Popularity  is  as  a  blaze  of  illumination 
kindled  round  a  man,  showing  what  is  in  him,  not  put- 
ting the  slightest  more  item  into  him,  often  abstradling 
much  from  him,  conflagrating  the  poor  man  himself  into 
ashes,  and  captd  mortuum.'^ 

It  used  to  be  the  custom  in  Yale  College  to  eledl  nine 
members  from  each  class  as  ' '  Cochleaureati ' '  by  reason 
of  personal  popularity  ;  these  in  turn  eledled  the  "best 
fellow  "  of  their  number  to  receive  the  "wooden  spoon." 

The  desire  for  popularity  often  leads  to  the  quagmire 
of  an  ignoble  life.  It  is  more  important  to  be  a  square 
man  than  a  good  fellow. 

But  we  should  have  friends.  For  lack  of  them  we 
grow  morose,  apathetic,  and  unprofitable.  A  strong 
charadler  may  rise  above  it  possibly,  like  the  frontiers- 
man who  appeared  at  the  door  of  the  White  House,  and 
when  some  one  cried,  "  Make  way  for  Colonel  Crockett!" 

162 


CHOOSING  A   FRIEND  163 

pushed  the  page  aside,  saying,  ' '  David  Crockett  makes 
way  for  himself  ! ' ' 

Wordsworth,  when  in  solitude  at  Rydal  Mount,  showed 
distindt  loss  of  power. 

Nowhere  are  friends  more  necessary  than  in  the  city. 
Men  come  and  go  along  the  great  thoroughfares,  and  are 
no  more  to  each  other  than  flies  on  the  wall.  Each  seem 
to  be  saying,  "  I  care  for  nobody  and  nobody  cares  for 
me. 

The  Church  should  lead  in  showing  itself  friendly.  It 
was  a  just  word  dropped  into  the  minister's  box  after  he 
had  preached  a  sermon  on  "  Recognition  of  Saints  in 
Heaven, ' '  which  suggested  that  he  preach  on  the  ' '  Re- 
cognition of  Saints  on  Earth. ' ' 

"  Friends  are  like  melons.     Shall  I  tell  you  why? 
To  find  one  good,  you  must  a  hundred  try." 

True  friendship  rests  on  four  pillars  : 

I.   MUTUAL   RESPECT 

I .  Sele^  with  regard  to  charaSler. — One  who  is  addidled 
to  vice,  falsehood,  dishonesty,  foul  speech,  or  any  unholy 
life  is  not  worthy  of  our  confidence.  One  drop  of  iodine 
will  color  a  tumbler  of  the  purest  water.  He  who  will 
fool  another  will  fool  me. 

Alexander  was  forewarned  that  his  physician  had  put 
poison  in  his  medicine.  He  put  the  note  under  his  pil- 
low, sent  for  his  physician,  and  drank  the  cup  in  his 
presence.    That  was  confidence.    That  was  true  friendship. 

The  fabulous  Circe  had  a  garden  open  to  passers-by. 
To  her  guests  she  offered  a  sweet  potion  which  trans- 
formed them  into  dogs  and  swine  and  all  manner  of  four- 
footed  and  creeping  things.     This  morning  on  my  way 


164  A   QUIVER  OF  ARROWS 

to  church  I  passed  a  group  of  young  men,  one  of  whom 
was  telling  a  story.  I  heard  enough  of  it  to  inform  me 
that  I  was  passing  Circe's  garden. 

2.  Sele5l  from  among  our  betters. — To  choose  from  be- 
neath may  be  magnanimous,  but  it  is  dangerous. 

I  once  saw  ivy  climbing  up  the  ruins  of  an  ancient 
castle  at  Innisfallen.  It  found  its  way  through  door  and 
lattice,  until,  displacing  stone  from  stone,  it  towered,  as 
if  in  triumph,  over  the  dilapidated  strudture.  Ruin  lies 
in  the  way  of  questionable  friendships. 

II.    MUTUAL  SYMPATHY 

I  came  down  the  German  Molkenkur  at  sunset  and 
turned  aside  in  the  forest  to  see  the  crimson  glory.  The 
Rhine  and  the  Neckar,  coming  together  far  below,  looked 
like  rivers  of  blood.  The  tiles  of  Heidleberg  glowed  like 
gold,  and  earth  and  heaven  were  bathed  in  splendor.  I 
said  aloud,  unconsciously,  "  Wonderful !  "  A  voice  be- 
hind said ,  ' '  Schon  !  Schon  !  "  I  turned  and  saw  a  tall 
Saxon,  a  court  painter,  who  like  myself  was  lost  in 
wonder  at  the  scene.  A  common  chord  had  been  struck 
between  us  as  we  walked  together  down  the  mountain  in 
the  gathering  gloom.  A  brief  but  real  friendship. 
Years  have  passed  since  then,  but  the  memory  is  sweet. 

' '  A  fellow  feeling  makes  us  wondrous  kind. ' '  Chris- 
tian friendship  is  the  best.  Here  runs  the  cleavage  that 
divides  the  world. 

' '  What  a  friend  we  have  in  Jesus  ! ' '  Christ  is  an  in- 
comparable friend.  He  is  all  and  in  all.  Unchangeable. 
His  true  followers  are  our  friends.  This  is  friendship  at 
its  best.  It  is  seen  in  the  two  disciples  walking  to  Em- 
maus. 

' '  Be  not  unequally  yoked  together  with  unbelievers  ' ' 


CHOOSING  A   FRIEND  165 

was  not  written  with  special  reference  to  wedlock,  but  to 
all  the  relations  of  Christian  life. 

III.    MUTUAL   HELPFULNESS 

1.  Don't  choose  a  melancholy  man  for  a  friend. — Such  a 
one  thinks  the  times  out  of  joint  and  everything  is  going 
to  the  bad. 

I  would  rather  spend  a  cheery  hour  with  Dick  Swivel- 
ler  carrying  his  flute  under  his  arm  and  humming, 
' '  Away  with  melancholy  ! ' '  than  a  day  among  the 
misereres  of  the  Capuchins. 

2.  Don't  choose  a  flatterer. — My  friend  must  be  in- 
genuous and  frank.  A  trait  of  friendship  is  candid  re- 
proof.    Bluntness  is  not  friendship. 

Brush  off  a  venomous  insedt  from  the  face,  but  don't 
do  it  with  a  sledge-hammer.  It  is  kind  to  take  a  mote 
from  the  eye,  but  not  with  hot  pincers. 

A  traveler  in  the  mountains  of  Madeira  had  a  guide 
who,  as  they  journeyed  up  steep  hills  and  through  the 
darkness,  kept  calling  :  "  Press  on,  senor,  I  can  see  light 
yonder  ! ' '  Give  encouragement  in  the  hour  of  darkness 
and  lend  a  hand  in  time  of  need. 

3.  Friendship  is  m.utual. — The  service  must  not  be  one- 
sided. Give  and  take.  "He  is  my  friend  who  brings 
grist  to  my  mill. ' ' 

A  veteran  of  Balaklava  fell,  wounded  in  both  knees. 
His  bunk-mate  cried  :  ' '  Climb  up  and  I  will  carry  you 
off  !  "  But,  clinging  to  his  comrade's  back,  he  noticed 
that  his  rescuer  was  bleeding  from  a  mortal  wound. 
Whereupon  he  begged  him  to  put  him  down.  But  the 
faithful  comrade  refused,  bore  him  off,  and,  staggering, 
fell  dead.     Thus  true  friends  serve  each  other. 


166  A    QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

IV.   STEADFASTNESS 

In  classic  mythology  friendship  is  represented  as  a 
young  man,  bare  headed,  in  tattered  garments,  having  on 
his  forearm  the  inscription  :  ' '  Vivere  et  mori "  ;  on  his 
forehead  :  ' '  ^Estate  et  hieme ' '  ;  and  on  his  breast : 
' '  Prope  et  longe. ' '  A}',  this  is  the  oath  of  the  covenant : 
For  lyife  and  Death,  for  Summer  and  Winter,  Near  and 
Far! 

Fair-weather  friends  vanish  when  we  most  need  them. 
Not  so  the  ' '  friend  that  sticketh  closer  than  a  brother. ' ' 
' '  Greater  love  hath  no  man  than  this,  that  a  man 
lay  down  his  life  for  his  friends ' '  ;  but  ' '  while  we  were 
yet  enemies,  Christ  died  for  us."  How  constant  His 
love  !  He  knew  that  Thomas  would  doubt  and  Peter 
deny,  that  all  would  forsake  him  ;  yet  he  loved  them  to 
the  end. 

Make  His  acquaintance.     You  will  need  Him — 

(a)  When  you  come  to  the  border-land. 

(b)  When  at  the  great  assize. 
Claim  His  friendship  now. 
Take  the  stretched-out  hand ! 


XXXIV 
BIRDS  OF  PASSAGE 

Yea,  the  stork  in  the  heaven  knoweth  her  ap- 
pointed times;  and  the  turtle  and  the  crane  and 
the  swallow  observe  the  time  of  their  coming  ; 
but  my  people  know  not  the  judgment  of  the 
I,ord. 

—Jeremiah  viii :  7. 

AM  sure,"  said  a  friend,  "  that  I  heard  the  chirp 
of  a  robin  this  morning. "  It  is  nothing  new 
to  be  welcoming  the  harbinger  of  spring. 
' '  When  the  swallows  homeward  fly ' '  was 
sung  by  Anacreon  five  hundred  years  before  Christ. 
Homer  celebrated  the  return  of  the  water-fowl  to  the  rivers 
of  Asia.  Solomon  mingles  his  welcome  to  the  birds  with 
his  wooing  of  the  Shulamite:  ' '  My  beloved  spake,  and  said 
unto  me.  Rise  up,  my  love,  my  fair  one,  and  come  away  ; 
for     .     .     .     the  time  of  the  singing  of  birds  is  come." 

The  arrival  of  birds  is  always  on  schedule  time.  We 
say,  "  One  swallow  does  not  make  a  summer."  But  it 
does  ;  that  is,  it  makes  assurance  doubly  sure.  Not  more 
certain  do  summer  people  return  to  their  homes  from  sea- 
side or  mountain  than  the  feathered  tribes  come  back  in 
their  appointed  season  to  attend  to  repairs  and  house- 
cleaning.  So  pundlual  are  they  that  some  Indian  tribes 
have  named  their  recurring  moons  after  the  migratory 
birds. 

Birds  never  lose  their  way.  Professor  Newton,  of  Cam- 
bridge, says:  "  In  the  migration  of  birds  we  are  brought 

l&J 


168  A    QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

face  to   face  with  the  greatest  mystery  in  the  animal 
kingdom. ' ' 

How  are  they  guided  ?  Not  by  vision  ;  for  notwith- 
standing the  marvelous  power  of  the  bird's  eye,  it  can 
not  pierce  the  darkness  nor  cover  the  course  of  so  long  a 
journey.  That  they  have  occult  knowledge  of  the  loca- 
tion of  the  magnetic  pole  is  mere  hypothesis.  The  view 
of  Herr  Palmen  that  they  are  guided  by  older  birds  which 
have  had  experience  of  the  route  is  insu£5cient.  It  is 
true  that  wild  geese  fly  in  converging  lines  with  one 
woodsman  in  front  ;  but  many  others,  like  the  sky- 
larks, pursue  their  journey  alone.  To  say  that  they  are 
guided  by  instindl  is  an  evasion,  since  instinc5l  itself 
needs  to  be  accounted  for. 

But  we  have  to  do  with  the  home  habits  of  birds  so  far 
as  it  touches  the  problems  of  life.  And  let  me  say,  like 
the  birds 

I.   WE   CAME   FROM   GOD 

' '  God  created  man  in  His  own  image. ' '  The  Divine 
image  is  attested  by  his  inner  consciousness.  He  can 
think  ' '  God. ' '  He  can  say  ' '  God, ' '  love  God,  obey  God, 
defy  God,  and  rejedl  God's  mercy.  These  qualities  dif- 
ferentiate him  from  all  other  orders  of  life.  Sir  William 
Hamilton  says,  "Man  is  not  an  organism;  he  is  an  in- 
telligence served  by  organs."  The  same  thought  is 
elaborated  by  Theodore  Parker  :  ' '  The  greatest  star  is 
that  at  the  little  end  of  the  telescope — the  star  that  is 
looking,  not  looked  after  nor  looked  at." 

II.  WE  ARE  A   LONG  WAY   FROM  HOME 

Sin  has  alienated  us  from  God.  We  are  out  in  a  far 
country  as  moral  vagabonds.  There  is  a  pathetic  re- 
sponse in  every  man  to  the  legend  of  the  wandering  Jew. 


BIRDS   OF  PASSAGE  169 

There  is  this  comfort  that,  however  that  image  may  be 
marred,  a  man  does  not  lose  it  altogether.  I  look  into 
the  water  on  a  windy  day.  I  know  that  my  image  is 
there,  but  the  rippling  of  the  water  distorts  it.  So  the 
Divine  image  in  man  is  blurred  and  obscured  by  the  pas- 
sions engendered  by  sin. 

We  are  far,  far  from  God,  but  we  still  bear  tokens  of 
our  origin.  Nor  can  we  escape  from  His  influence,  fly 
as  we  may  to  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth. 

III.   THE   HOME  INSTINCT  IS  STILL  OURS 

David's  pilgrim,  on  his  way  back  from  Babylon,  sings, 
"Return  unto  thy  rest,  O  my  soul."  There  is  no  rest 
except  in  God.  ' '  We  came  forth  from  Him, ' '  said 
Augustine,  "  and  we  are  homesick  until  we  return." 

A  legend  tells  how  Jesus,  on  his  visit  to  Jerusalem  at 
twelve  5'ears  of  age,  found  several  rabbis,  known  as  the 
pillars  of  wisdom,  sitting  in  the  hall  Gazith  discussing 
the  question,  "Where  shall  rest  be  found  ?  "  One  said, 
"  In  the  abundance  of  this  world."  Another,  "In  the 
good  opinion  of  our  fellows. ' '  A  third,  ' '  In  present 
contentment  with  present  conditions."  A  fourth,  "In 
the  enjoyment  of  simple  pleasures."  A  fifth,  "  In  doing 
good  as  we  have  opportunity. ' '  A  sixth,  ' '  In  self-respedl 
founded  on  conscious  virtue."  Whereupon  the  fair- 
haired  boy  remarked  that  ' '  none  ever  resteth  until  he 
findeth  God. ' '  This  is  the  true  solution  of  the  problem. 
By  this  thought  we  are  stimulated  to  heavenward  flight. 

IV.    THE   WAY    HOMEWARD    IS    CLEARLY  MARKED 

OUT 

God,  who  gives  the  aerial  chart  to  birds,  has  provided 
a  way  for  us.  ' '  If  He  so  care  for  the  fowls  of  the  air, 
shall  He  not  much  more  care  for  you,  O  ye  of  little 


170  A    QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

faith?"  Isaiah  said:  "  A  highway  shall  be  there  .  .  . 
and  it  shall  be  called  the  way  of  holiness."  But  a 
greater  than  Isaiah  declared  of  Himself:  "I  am  the 
way  ";  and,  further,  "  I  go  to  prepare  a  place  for  you." 
So,  then,  the  soul  returns  to  God,  if  ever,  by  the  way  of 
Calvary,  the  Royal  way  of  the  cross,  * '  He  that  believeth 
hath  everlasting  life. " 

V.   THERE  ARE   OPPOSING  INFLUENCES 

The  chief  one  is  a  free  ^  refractory  will.  Nothing  in  the 
whole  realm  of  nature  is  opposed  to  the  laws  of  its  being 
but  man.  The  lower  orders  have  instindl.  Instindt  is 
bondage.  Intelligence  is  freedom.  Instindt  yields  to 
automatic  assent  to  law,  but  reason  may  violate  law. 
The  head  winds  ofFer  but  a  momentary  hindrance  to  the 
flight  of  the  returning  birds  which  will  rise  above  them 
in  calmer  air,  but  our  will  may  make  the  homeward  path 
an  impossibility. 

We  think  sometimes  that  our  liberty  is  restrained  by 
law  ;  in  fact,  the  law  of  our  being  is  disannulled  by  the 
exercise  of  our  liberty.  We  know  our  duty  and  do  not 
do  it. 

The  bobolink  in  the  southern  forests  says  :  ' '  March 
has  come.  The  sun  is  shining.  I  must  be  off.  The  snow 
is  melting  in  my  nest  a  thousand  miles  away."  No 
sooner  said  than  done,  and  he  is  on  the  wing  ! 

But  how  comes  the  voice  to  the  prodigal  in  the  far 
country  ?  In  the  watches  of  the  night  he  hears  the  sound 
of  music  and  dancing  afar  off ;  shivering,  he  draws  his 
rags  about  him,  saying,  "  Fool  that  I  am  to  linger  here  !  " 
And  still  he  lingers.  The  pangs  of  hunger,  suggesting 
the  abundance  of  his  father's  house,  urge  him  to  return, 
and  still  he  dwells  among  the  husks.     He  feels  his  lone- 


BIRDS  OF  PASSAGE  171 

liness,  and  his  kinsfolk  would  welcome  him  home;  but  his 
stubborn  will  resists  the  summons.  To-morrow,  to-morrow, 
TO-MORROW  !  How  slowly  impulse  rises  to  resolve  !  How 
long  it  takes  a  man  to  say,   "  I  will  arise  and  go  !  " 

In  the  far  north  a  lonely  millard,  in  an  ice-locked  lake, 
was  left  behind  while  its  companions  were  preening  their 
feathers  in  pleasant  summer  streams.  It  strove  to  rise, 
and  fluttered  back  ;  its  wing  was  broken.  Is  there  not 
some  belated  one  here,  some  soul  who,  again  and  again, 
in  passing  years,  has  seen  his  friends  set  forth  on  the 
homeward  journey  while  he  was  left  behind?  Has  the 
time  of  his  flitting  not  come?  To  you,  belated  one, 
weary  and  wandering,  comes  a  Divine  voice :  ' '  Return 
unto  thy  rest."  The  home  instindl  of  Noah's  dove  came 
back  to  the  Ark,  and  the  good  man  put  forth  his  hand 
and  took  her  in.  So  the  pierced  hand  of  Jesus  is  held  out 
at  this  moment  to  every  weary,  wandering  one  to  draw 
him  to  a  place  of  rest  and  peace. 


XXXV 
THE   LOST   OPPORTUNITY 

And  as  he  reasoned  of  righteousness,  temper- 
ance, and  judgment  to  come,   Felix  trembled, 
and  answered,  Go  thy  way  for  this  time  ;  when 
I  have  a  convenient  season,  I  will  call  for  thee. 
— Acts  xxiv  :  25. 


TT^  Kivix  was  a  worn-out  epicure.  Perhaps  he  wanted 
*  I  to  experience  a  new  sensation  or  to  display  his 
^^PJ      powers.     At  any  rate  Paul  was  called  before 

him. 
Paul  was  in  chains.     He  was  not  impressive  in  appear- 
ance, yet  of  logical  mind  and  eloquent  tongue. 

Caution  whispered:  "Take  heed;  don't  offend  that 
magistrate. ' '  Conscience  said  :  ' '  Quit  you  like  a  man. ' ' 
Caution  again  whispered  :  "A  little  harmless  flattery  may 
gain  favor."  Conscience  replied:  "Ambassador,  bring 
that  Hbertine  to  his  knees ;  make  him  cringe  before 
God." 

Conscience  got  the  victory,  and  "  Felix  trembled." 
Paul  spoke  under  three  heads  : 

1 .  Righteousness. — A  voice  from  within  must  have  said  : 
' '  Holy  !  holy  !  holy  ! ' '  Another  must  have  said  :  ' '  Felix, 
thou  art  guilty. ' ' 

2.  Tempera7ice  {i.e.,  continence^. — Felix's  shameless 
vices  were  of  common  fame.  He  looked  into  the  face  of 
Drusilla  sitting  beside  him,  his  third  unlawful  queen  ; 
but  the  preacher  went  right  on. 

3.  Jzidgment  to  come. — Felix's  color  changed,  his  eyes 
fell,  his  courage  failed.     It  was  like  the  scene  in  Belshaz- 

172 


THE  LOST  OPPORTUNITY  173 

zar's  palace.  He  moved  uneasily,  quailed  before  the 
merciless  reasoning  of  the  dim-eyed,  stoop-shouldered, 
shackled  prisoner.     He  trembled. 

But  this  was  the  opportunity  of  Felix's  life.  Will  he 
embrace  it  ?  He  opens  his  lips  ;  but  the  words  he  spoke 
were  not  those  of  the  Philippian  jailer.  Will  he  beat  his 
guilty  breast  and  cry  out,  ' '  God  be  merciful  to  me  a  sin- 
ner"? If  so,  there  is  mercy  for  him.  The  supreme 
moment  has  come.  The  fatal  word  goes  forth,  ' '  Go  thy 
way  for  this  time.  When  I  have  a  convenient  season  I 
will  call  for  thee. ' '     The  opportunity  passes. 

Observe : 

I.    FELIX  POSTPONES  DECISION 

Not  now.  Some  time  in  the  future — the  ' '  convenient 
season." 

Self-deception.  Felix  knew  enough  for  the  purpose  in 
hand.  He  did  not  need  to  be  a  philosopher  or  theologian, 
a  Kant  or  a  Calvin,  to  accept  Christ ;  nor  a  botanist  like 
Linnaeus,  nor  an  astronomer  like  Galileo,  nor  an  artist 
like  Raphael. 

He  knew  sin  ;  his  heart  and  conscience  told  him  that. 
He  knew  that  he  must  die  and  after  that  come  to  judg- 
ment. He  knew  that  Christ  had  died  on  the  cross  to 
save  sinners.  All  the  essentials  of  Christianity  were 
clear  in  his  mind.  God  asks  no  more  of  a  man  than  that 
he  shall  live  up  to  the  light  he  has. 

II.   FELIX  WAS  A  BUSY  MAN 

He  probably  pleaded  business  cares  as  a  reason  for 
postponing  decision  for  Christ.  The  oflSce  of  procurator 
was  no  sinecure.  The  turbulent  Jews  gave  him  much 
trouble.     He  had  his  docket  of  pending  cases  to  clear. 


174  A    QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

So  many  to-day  plead  exadtions  of  life  for  putting  off 
their  salvation. 

A  child  asked  her  mother,  '  'Are  you  going  to  heaven  ?  ' ' 
"Yes,  I  hope  so."  "Then,  mamma,  I  must  be  going, 
too,  else  it  will  be  very,  very  lonesome  for  you."  "  But 
your  father  will  be  there."  "No,  mamma,  he  can  not 
possibly  leave  the  store. "  It  was  a  juvenile  paraphrase 
of  the  tares  and  wheat. 

The  folly  of  ^sop's  simpleton,  who  stood  by  the  flow- 
ing brook  saying,  ' '  If  tnis  flows  on  it  must  empty  itself 
and  I  shall  go  over  dry  shod,"  is  obvious.  The  business 
of  the  world  can  wait,  but  the  business  of  the  soul  can 
not. 

III.  FELIX'S   LUCRE  WOULD   STAND  IN   THE   WAY 

His  office  was  lucrative.  He  exadled  tribute  from 
every  sheaf  of  wheat  and  basket  of  olives.  His  was  the 
day  of  blackmail.  Let  us  be  charitable  and  suppose  that 
he  would  get  enough  some  day,  and  then  stifle  the  cry  of 
his  conscience  by  endowing  some  good  institution,  and 
then  at  leisure  make  his  peace  with  God. 

The  sophism  is  apparent.  Call  to  mind  the  rich  man 
who  had  an  unusually  abundant  harvest,  quite  sufficient 
to  justify  him,  in  his  own  estimation,  to  retire  and  take 
his  ease  the  rest  of  his  days.  The  event  that  spoiled  his 
plan  was  a  sudden  evidlion  that  very  night.  A  just  evic- 
tion, too,  since  the  tenant  (for  he  was  that  and  nothing 
more)  had  misused  his  trust.  "  So  is  he  that  layeth  up 
treasure  for  himself  and  is  not  rich  toward  God. ' ' 

IV.  FELIX  WAS  NOT  READY  TO  GIVE  UP  WORLDLY 
PLEASURE 

He  had  a  fine  palace  and  great  facilities  for  enjoyment. 
To  him,  probably,  religion  was  a  melancholy  thing,  fit 


THE  LOST  OPPORTUNITY  175 

only  for  old  people  and  the  afflidled.  He  would  repent, 
of  course,  before  he  died.  His  refusal  now  was  not  final, 
only  a  postponement. 

The  reasoning  is  plausible,  but  false.  Religion  is  not 
gloomy.  "At  God's  right  hand  there  are  pleasures  for- 
evermore."  It  is  a  happy  moment  when  a  man's  sins 
are  forgiven.     A  truce,  then  a  surrender,  then  peace  ! 

"  Oh,  happy  day  that  fixed  my  choice 
On  Thee,  my  Savior  and  my  God!" 

A  sinner  becomes  the  King's  son,  and  sits  in  the  King's 
banqueting-hall  with  all  the  King's  nobility.  ' '  Eye  hath 
not  seen  nor  ear  heard,  neither  hath  it  entered  the  heart 
of  man  the  things  which  God  hath  prepared  for  them 
that  love  Him." 

The  unsaved  sinner  is  the  one  who  has  reason  to  be 
melancholy.  Copper-miners  in  Cornwall,  under  the  sea, 
can  always  hear  the  roll  of  the  waves  above  them.  But 
there  are  times  when  raging  tempests  drive  them  in  ter- 
ror from  their  tasks.  The  ungodly  sometimes  make 
merry  within  sound  of  the  trumpet-blast  of  the  judg- 
ment. They  dare  not  stop  to  think.  To  sell  heaven  for 
a  passing  joy  is  a  fool's  bargain.  A  wise  man  once  said  : 
"  Of  laughter  it  is  mad,  and  of  mirth  what  doeth  it?  " 

V.  FELIX   HOPED  FOR  POLITICAL  PROMOTION 

He  was  ambitious.  He  was  unpopular  with  the  Jews, 
but  this  was  in  his  favor  at  Rome.  He  might  become 
emperor.  Who  could  tell?  Stranger  things  had  hap- 
pened. To  turn  Christian  would  ruin  his  prospedls.  His 
duty  was  clear  enough,  but  just  now  it  stood  in  his  way 
of  personal  elevation. 

Did  it  pay  Felix  to  postpone  salvation  for  such  a  con- 


176  A    QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

sideration  ?  ' '  What  shall  it  profit  a  man  if  he  gain  the 
whole  earth  and  lose  his  own  soul  ?  "  A  pleasure-yacht 
was  sailing  off  the  coast  of  Nova  Scotia  when  an  iceberg 
was  sighted.  It  was  suggested  that  as  the  day  was  fair 
and  the  sea  quiet,  the  passengers  might  disembark  upon 
it ;  a  rather  hazardous  thing  to  do,  but  they  succeeded  in 
climbing  the  sides  of  the  crystal  mass.  They  remained 
there  till  sunset.  Just  as  they  got  on  board  the  ship  again, 
the  iceberg,  as  if  by  magic,  fell  asunder  and  dissolved. 
Its  domes  and  pinnacles,  crimsoned  by  the  setting  sun, 
disappeared  like  the  fabric  of  a  vision,  leaving  not  a  vestige 
behind.  So  will  pass  away  the  glory  of  this  world,  its 
thrones  and  dynasties,  its  honors  and  emoluments — all 
vanish  with  life's  setting  sun. 

Only  character  endures.  He  is  the  wise  man  who  wins 
charadter. 

VI.   FELIX  LOVED  SIN 

That  was  back  of  all.  He  would  not  give  up  Drusilla, 
his  eighteen-year-old  beauty.  She  had  been  the  wife  of 
Azizus,  King  of  Kmesa,  who  was  still  living. 

Back  of  all  our  excuses  is  sin.  We  fondle  it  like  a 
tiger's  cub,  knowing  at  the  same  time  the  danger  of  the 
first  taste  of  blood.  Sin  smiles,  and  is  our  master.  It 
grows  in  strength,  and  the  danger  increases  with  the 
passing  days.  We  do  not  wait  for  judgment.  Sentence 
is  passed  already.  The  verdidt  is  death.  Manton  says  : 
' '  Whoso  delayeth  repentance  leaveth  his  soul  in  pawn  to 
the  evil  one,  saying  in  effedl,  '  Here,  Satan,  keep  my 
soul ;  if  I  fetch  it  not  again  by  such  a  day  'tis  thine 
forever.'  " 

Delays  are  manifest : 

I ,  Death  may  come  at  any  moment. 


THE  LOST  OPPORTUNITY  177 

2.  Habit,  like  a  serpent,  will  coil  around  the  soul, — Con- 
science, like  the  blacksmith's  arm,  which  at  first  shrank 
from  the  heat  and  quivered  with  pain,  now  bares  it  to 
the  shoulder  and,  unshrinking,  thrusts  it  into  a  shower 
of  sparks. 

3.  The  Spirit  may  cease  to  strive. — That  is  fatal  and 
beyond  all  recovery.  ' '  My  Spirit  shall  not  always  strive 
with  man,"     God  is  patient,  but  He  will  not  be  mocked. 

VII.   FELIX  TREMBLED 

The  iron  had  gone  into  his  soul.  He  was  not  like 
some  who  excuse  themselves  on  the  ground  of  a  lack  of 
feeling. 

You  say,  "I  have  no  vivid  convidtion  of  sin;  I  can 
hear  the  dropping  of  blood  on  Calvary  and  not  let  fall  a 
tear;  I  do  not  turn  pale  at  the  thought  of  judgment." 
"Was  there  not  a  time  when  you  did?  Once  a  sermon 
alarmed  you  ;  you  lay  awake  at  night ;  you  struggled. 
That  is  all  over  now,  and  it  takes  something  unusual  to 
move  3'ou.     You  can  sleep  with  no  fear  or  scruple. 

But  salvation  is  more  a  matter  of  dut)^  than  of  feeling. 
You  owe  an  honest  debt.  Do  you  refuse  to  pay  it  for 
want  of  feeling  ? 

Are  you  waiting  a  ' '  convenient  season  ' '  ?  When  ? 
To-morrow?  The  Spanish  say,  "  The  road  to  By-and-By 
leads  to  the  house  of  Never. ' '  To-day  is  yours  ;  to-mor- 
row is  God's.  ' '  To-day  if  ye  will  hear  His  voice. ' '  Are 
you  waiting  till  the  hour  of  death  ?  Surely  not.  If  so, 
you  take  fearful  chances.  Of  all  excuses  this  is  the  most 
cowardly.  You  would  rake  the  field,  squander  the  wheat 
of  life  on  your  passions,  and  fling  the  riddlings  at  the 
altar!  Burn  the  candle  to  the  socket,  and  then  throw  the 
snuff  in  the  face  of  God  !     Is  that  it  ?     Is  it  manly  ? 


178  A    QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

God's  promise  centers  on  the  moment.  The  Orientals 
tell  of  a  man  who  watched  at  the  gates  of  Paradise  a 
thousand  years  to  have  them  open  to  admit  him.  Then 
for  a  moment  he  dozed,  and  awoke  to  find  that  they  had 
opened  and  shut.     It  is  a  parable  of  lost  opportunity. 

So  far  as  we  know,  the  impression  made  upon  the  mind 
of  Felix  wholly  passed  away.  He  remained  two  years  in 
the  palace  of  Caesarea,  and  was  then  deposed.  His  down- 
fall seemed  to  begin  from  that  time.  His  ina(5tion  was 
his  ruin. 

People  are  moved  to  tears  in  the  rehearsal  of  a  tragedy, 
then  return  to  the  world  and  live  as  if  nothing  had 
moved  them.  So  the  religious  impression  at  this  moment 
may  pass  as  a  dream. 

The  issues  of  eternity  may  depend  upon  this  hour. 
Felix  lost  his  opportunity.     Will  you  lose  yours  ? 


XXXVI 
THE    LOGIC  OF   EVENTS 

A  Missionary  Sermon 

O  ye  hypocrites,  ye  can  discern  the  face  of  the 
sky  ;  but  can  ye  not  discern  the  signs  of  the 
times? 

—Matthew  xvi :  3. 


I 


T  is  our  business  to  interpret  signs.  He  is  a  poor 
skipper  who,  trusting  to  his  compass,  makes  no 
observations.  He  is  a  poor  ranchman  who 
does  not  round  up  his  cattle  when  the  storm  is 
coming  on.  He  is  a  poor  reader  of  the  newspapers  who 
can  not  dream  dreams  and  see  visions  between  the  lines. 
I  saw  a  bunch  of  wild  violets  in  the  hands  of  a  little 
maid,  and  presently  the  verdant  forests  and  blooming 
fields  were  all  before  me. 

The  duty  of  the  hour  is  suggested  by  current  events. 
At  the  time  Christ  spoke  the  words  of  our  text  a  great 
crisis  had  come  in  the  history  of  the  Jewish  nation.  The 
leaders  did  not  see  it.  Prophecy  was  fulfilled,  but  eyes 
were  closed  against  it.  They  failed  to  discern  the  signs 
of  the  times. 

There  is  a  universal  convi(5tion  that  mighty  events  are 
before  us  in  the  opening  of  this  new  century. 

The  last  century  was  marked  by  the  introduction  of 
new  forces  in  spiritual  and  material  things — steam  and 
eledlricity ,  inventions  and  discoveries,  and  marvelous  spir- 
itual developments. 

179 


180  A  QUIVER  OF  ARROWS 

What  are  the  signs  to-day  ? 

I.   THE   OPEN  DOOR 

Not  of  one,  but  of  all  nations.  We  do  not  pray  any 
more  for  the  open  door,  but  rather  that  the  people  inside 
may  be  evangelized. 

One  hundred  and  sixty  years  ago  William  Carey,  of 
Northamptonshire,  desired  to  go  as  a  foreign  mission- 
ary; but  he  met  with  such  opposition  that  he  sailed 
in  a  Danish  ship.  On  landing  in  India  he  supported 
himself  by  working  in  an  indigo  fadtory,  meanwhile 
studying  the  Bengali  language.  Carey's  original  propo- 
sition was  met  with  the  cry,  "  Sit  down,  young  man  !  " 
Everywhere  the  cry  now  is,  "Rise  up,  young  man,  and 
go!" 

In  1853  Japan  opened  its  ports  to  commerce.  Commo- 
dore Perry  sailed  in,  and  Japan  is  the  Young  America  of 
the  Orient.  At  this  moment  that  people  are  discussing 
the  question  of  substituting  Christianity  for  their  national 
religion. 

It  is  less  than  thirty  years  since  David  I^ivingstone  died 
on  his  knees  in  mid- Africa.  But  to-day  the  Dark  Conti- 
nent is  cobwebbed  by  thoroughfares  of  commerce,  slave- 
trade  is  practically  abolished,  and  the  Gospel  is  preached 
from  Tanganyika  to  the  Kongo  and  from  the  Nile  to  the 
Cape. 

China  is  open.  Until  quite  recently  no  railway  could 
be  built  for  fear  of  disturbing  the  historic  rest  of  Fung- 
shui,  the  spirit  of  the  past.  A  highway  there  is  being 
cast  up  for  the  evangel. 

So  with  other  nations  once  closed  against  Christ.  The 
fable  of  Aladdin  before  the  cave,  crying,  ' '  Open  Sesame ! ' ' 
has  been  realized. 


THE  LOGIC  OF  EVENTS  181 

II.   VOLUNTEERS    FOR   THE  PROPAGANDA 

There  is  no  need  now  to  pray  for  men  and  women  to 
go  to  the  front.  More  are  ready  than  means  at  hand  to 
send  them. 

Peter  the  Hermit  created  the  enthusiasm  for  the  foreign 
field.  When  Lincoln  called  for  volunteers,  the  reply 
came  from  every  quarter,  ' '  We  are  coming,  Father 
Abraham,  a  hundred  thousand  strong."  Two  thousand 
of  the  best  and  brightest  young  men  and  women  stand 
ready  to  enter  the  yellow  fields  and  thrust  in  the  sickle. 

III.  THE  SUCCESS  OF  FOREIGN  EVANGELIZATION 

In  the  fifth  century  Patricius,  a  Scotchman,  went  over 
to  Ireland  and  won  over  that  barbaric  people  to  Christ. 

In  the  seventh  century,  Augustine,  passing  through 
the  slave-market  at  Rome,  saw  a  group  of  fair-haired 
Saxons  on  sale.  On  being  told  that  they  were  ' '  Angles ' ' 
he  remarked,  "not  Angles,  but  angels,"  and  set  forth  to 
evangelize  Britain. 

In  the  eighth  century  Boniface  carried  the  Gospel  to 
Germany. 

Then  came  the  dark  ages,  which  were  followed,  as  a 
natural  consequence  of  spiritual  decline,  by  such  men  as 
Voltaire,  Rousseau,  and  Thomas  Paine. 

After  that  the  Church  came  to  itself.  The  missionary 
epoch  began  with  the  nineteenth  century.  There  are 
now  seventy  mission  societies,  three  thousand  five  hun- 
dred missionaries  in  the  field,  with  seven  thousand  five 
hundred  native  helpers,  four  millions  of  communicants, 
and  an  annual  expenditure  of  fifteen  millions  to  carry  on 
the  work. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  century  just  closed  there  were 


183  A    QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

two  hundred  millions  of  nominal  Christians,  now  there 
are  five  hundred  millions.  What  a  sign  of  the  times  is 
this ! 

IV.  THE  CHURCH'S    RETURN   TO  REASON 

For  centuries  the  Church  expended  much  of  her  energy 
in  formulating  creeds  and  symbols.  Perhaps  this  was 
necessary  preparatory  work. 

It  also  spent  much  of  it  in  polemics.  That  time  has 
now  gone  by. 

Bazaine  surrendered  one  hundred  and  eighty  thousand 
men  at  Metz.  In  his  trial  before  the  court-martial  he 
pleaded  :  ' '  We  knew  not  what  to  do.  We  could  not 
determine  the  source  of  authority.  We  were  not  sure  as  to 
the  complexion  of  the  government  at  Paris.  We  sat  in 
council  debating  in  vain. ' '  The  president  of  the  court 
interrupted  again  and  again  with  the  words,  ' '  But  France, 
sir  !     What  of  France,  sir  ?  " 

Is  there  not  a  suggestion  here  of  the  unwisdom  of 
expending  our  energies  on  matters  quite  secondary  to 
the  pressing  business  of  saving  souls?  ' '  Se€k  ye  Jirst 
the  Kingdom  of  God."  This  is  no  time  for  parley. 
The  battle  is  on.  The  call  of  our  Captain  is:  "Go 
forward  ! ' ' 

V.  THE   SPIKING   OF  THE   ENEMY'S  GUNS 

The  one  great  American  infidel,  the  last  of  his  kind, 
got  his  hearing  from  among  curiosity  mongers.  He  had 
no  more  influence  among  thoughtful  people  than  if  he 
had  been  a  swallow  in  the  chimney. 

Max  Miiller  said  that  aside  from  Christianity  there 
were  but  two  living  religions :  Mohammedanism  and 
Buddhism.     Mohammedanism  represented  war,  slavery. 


THE  LOGIC  OF  EVENTS  183 

and  polygamy.  Buddhism,  estimated  at  four  hundred 
millions  strong,  is  yielding  to  the  light  of  civilization  and 
Christian  thought. 

The  only  obstacle  now  to  the  progress  of  Christianity  is 
within  the  Church  itself.  Some  Christian  teachers  fail 
to  see  the  trend  of  current  events  ;  others  are  indifferent, 
and  their  indifference  rests  in  unbelief. 

The  world  is  at  our  feet  if  we  did  but  believe  and  fol- 
low God's  leadership. 

Now  let  us  apply  all  this,  and 

1 .  Be  aggressive. — ' '  Go  ye. ' '  Go  or  send  a  substitute. 
No  Christian  is  excused.  "1  will  descend  into  the 
mine,"  said  Carey,  "  if  you  will  hold  the  rope."  Have 
you  aided  to  send  some  one  to  go  to  the  front  ?  Then 
stand  by  the  rope. 

' '  What  did  you  see  ?  ' '  said  Dr.  Cook  to  a  gunner  who 
had  fought  at  Waterloo.  "Nothing  but  dust  and 
smoke,"  w^as  the  answer.  "And  what  did  you  do?" 
"  I  stood  by  my  gun." 

2.  Be  generous. — Give  to  the  full  measure  of  your 
ability. 

Only  ten  cents  per  capita  is  given  by  Christians  for 
foreign  missions.  The  chariot-wheels  are  clogged.  They 
are  fast  in  the  mire  of  avarice  and  parsimony.  Dr.  Dujff 
said  that  we  are  playing  at  missions.  Oh,  for  a  bap- 
tism of  the  Holy  Spirit  ! 

The  old  historian,  Diodorus,  tells  of  a  fire  in  the  Pyre- 
nees which  burned  off  the  forests  and  penetrated  the  soil 
until  a  stream  of  pure  silver  gushed  forth  and  ran  down 
the  mountain  side.  This  is  a  manifest  fable.  But  there 
will  be  a  more  marvelous  story  to  tell  when  the  fire  of 
God's  Spirit  begins  to  burn  in  the  hearts  of  His  people. 

3.  Be  prayerful. — To  your  knees,  O  Israel !     We  pray 


184  A   QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

for  ourselves,  for  our  friends,  for  even  our  enemies.  Let 
us  now  pray  for  Christ,  that  His  Kingdom  may  come.  If 
we  do  that  in  real  earnest  we  shall  never  be  the  same  men 
again.  Nor  will  the  Church  be  the  same.  Lord,  let 
that  time  come  !     Amen. 


XXXVII 
AT  THEIR   WITS'   END 

And  they  are  at  their  wits'  end. 

—Psalm  cvii :  27. 


^TT^  HB  context  gives  a  vivid  pi(5lure  of  a  storm  at  sea. 

*    I        The  winds  and  waves  are  roaring.     The  ship 

^Sll      mounts  up  to  heaven  and  plunges  again  into  the 

depths.     The  crew  reel  to  and  fro  like  drunken 

men,  and  are  at  their  wits'  end. 

What  then  ?  Why,  "  they  cry  to  God,  and  He  delivers 
them  from  all  their  distresses. ' ' 

I  have  in  mind  seven  persons  who  are  at  their  wits* 
end : 

I.   THE   MAN  IN  SEARCH   OF   TRUTH 

The  desire  is  sincere,  but  he  is  overwhelmed  with 
doubt  and  in  danger  of  downright  unbelief.  Trusting  to 
his  own  wisdom,  the  inevitable  has  come.  He  is  "at  his 
wits'  end. ' '  In  childhood  we  have  no  doubts.  All  veri- 
ties are  near  by.  We  reach  for  the  stars  as  for  flowers 
growing  by  the  way.  The  rainbow  is  just  yonder.  The 
heavens  are  but  the  overhanging  curtains  of  our  play- 
house. "Except  ye  become  as  little  children  ye  shall 
in  no  wise  enter  the  Kingdom  of  God." 

But  as  3'^ears  go  by  truths  seem  to  recede.  The  stars, 
the  rainbow,  and  the  sky  are  farther  off.  We  begin  to 
inquire  if  there  is  a  God.  We  reason  and  doubt  and 
apply  scientific  processes  to  problems  that  can  only  be 
solved  by  faith. 

The  real  conflidl  of  the  soul  is  when  the  Argonauts  are 

185 


186  A   QUIVER  OF  ARROWS 

thus  on  their  way  to  Colchis.  On  the  open  sea  we  are 
beaten  about  by  contrary  winds.  We  can  manage  the 
rigging,  but  not  the  elements.  Vain  is  the  hope  of  find- 
ing the  Golden  Fleece. 

We  are  worsted  when  we  meet  the  enemy  on  his  own 
ground.  Doubt  yields  to  faith  alone.  Our  unaided  wits 
are  at  a  disadvantage,  but  God's  wisdom  is  infinite. 
Failing  to  appeal  to  that,  doubt  deepens  to  agnosticism, 
and  agnosticism  into  the  black  midnight  of  unbelief.  Soc- 
rates recognized  the  limitations  of  knowledge  when  he 
said  :  "I  know  only  that  I  know  little  or  nothing  at  all, ' ' 
Here  we  see  the  necessity  of  prayer.  "  If  any  man  lack 
wisdom  let  him  ask  of  God,  who  giveth  to  all  men  liter- 
ally, and  upbraideth  not,  and  it  shall  be  given  him." 

II.    THE   MAN   UNDER   THE  CONVICTION    OF  SIN 

All  are  sinners.  There  is  a  time  when  the  conscious- 
ness of  sin  sweeps  over  the  soul  with  the  gathering  force 
of  a  tempest ;  when  a  man  feels  the  exceeding  sinfulness 
of  sin,  is  oppressed  with  a  certain  fearful  looking  for  of 
judgment,  and  beats  upon  his  breast  in  utter  helplessness 
and  confesses  that  he  is  at  his  wits'  end. 

It  was  so  at  the  day  of  Pentecost.  Did  they  do  pen- 
ance ?  Fire  can  not  burn  out  guilt,  nor  scourging  of  the 
body  expiate  the  sins  of  the  soul.  Did  they  plead  good 
works  ?  No  ;  they  threw  up  their  hands  and  cried  might- 
ily to  God. 

It  was  so  with  David.  When  driven  like  a  roe  upon 
the  mountains,  and  "  at  his  wits'  end,"  he  appealed  to  a 
Power  beyond  his  own.  ' '  This  poor  man  cried,  and  the 
Lord  heard  him  and  saved  him  out  of  all  his  troubles. ' ' 

It  was  so  with  the  dying  thief.  "lyord,  remember 
me!" 


AT   THEIR    WITS'  END  187 

There  is  hope  only  in  God  : 

III.  THE  MAN  CONFRONTED  WITH  DUTY  WHO  CAN 
NOT   DISCHARGE  IT 

This  was  Jonah's  case.  He  pondered,  questioned,  and 
then  resolved  to  meet  his  duty  half  way.  He  would  not 
go  to  Nineveh,  but  he  would  go  to  Tarshesh.  So  he 
paid  his  fare,  took  ship,  went  down  into  the  hold,  and, 
having  quieted  his  conscience,  fell  asleep.  But  the  storm 
came,  and  every  one  on  board  was  "at  his  wits'  end." 
Jonah  then  depended  upon  God,  who  saved  him  and  aft 
the  rest.     ' '  Salvation  is  of  the  Lord. ' ' 

IV.   THE   MAN   WHO   FACES  TEMPTATION 

There  is  no  escape  from  this.  It  will  follow  a  man  even 
to  a  hermit's  cell.  Habit  has  mastered  him  again  and 
again.  He  has  fallen.  His  fall  teaches  him  his  inability 
to  stand  in  his  own  strength.  He  is  discouraged,  and 
comes  to  his  wits'  end.  At  this  point  hope  enters.  The 
boy  shepherd  went  against  his  giant  antagonist  in  the 
name  of  the  lyord.  Hence  his  vidlory.  "God  is  faith- 
ful, who  will  not  suffer  you  to  be  tempted  above  that  ye 
are  able;  but  will  with  the  temptation  also  make  a  way  of 
escape,  that  ye  may  be  able  to  bear  it." 

V.  THE  MAN  IN  TROUBLE 

"The  heart  knoweth  its  own  bitterness." 
Is  the  trouble  jealousy  and  hate  on  the  part  of  others  ? 
God  was  with  the  j'oung  men  in  the  Babylonian  fiery 
furnace.  Is  it  poverty?  The  ravens  fed  the  hungry 
prophet.  Is  it  abandonment  and  loneliness  ?  Jacob  was 
visited  at  Bethel  by  the  angels.  Is  it  disappointment? 
EHjah,  under  the  juniper-tree,  flung  himself  down  in  de- 


188  A    QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

spair  and  wanted  to  die.  But  God  met  him,  and  Klijali 
lived  to  do  the  best  work  of  his  life  after  that.  The  old 
song  pealed  out : 

"  There  isn't  more  night  than  day." 

'  *  The  strength  of  God  is  made  perf edl  in  weakness. ' ' 
Our  extremity  is  His  opportunity. 

VI.  THE  MAN  IN  TERROR  OF  DEATH 

The  black  camel  kneels  at  every  hut.  It  is  folly  to 
put  off  preparation  till  the  hour  of  starting  on  the 
journey. 

A  lad  was  taken  on  a  long  voyage  by  his  father.  He 
was  homesick.  As  the  ship  sailed  homeward  he  bright- 
ened day  by  day.  On  the  night  of  entering  the  harbor 
the  little  fellow  fell  asleep.  He  was  dimly  conscious  of 
the  casting  of  the  anchor  and  hearing  many  voices  ;  then 
of  being  lifted  in  his  father's  arms  and  carried  down  the 
rope  ladder  into  the  little  boat ;  then  of  the  splashing  of 
waves  and  beating  of  the  oars  ;  then,  still  half  asleep,  of 
being  carried  and  laid  in  his  little  bed.  Then  he  awoke 
and  it  was  morning,  and  his  mother's  face  was  bending 
over  him. 

Such  is  death  to  those  who  are  prepared  for  it. 

VII.  THE  MAN  WHO  FEARS  JUDGMENT 

That  is  well  grounded.  All  must  plead  guilty  there. 
If  anywhere,  it  is  there  he  will  be  at  his  wits'  end.  There 
is  only  one  way  of  quelling  fear.  That  is,  by  quitting  sin 
and  accepting  Christ  as  our  substitute  for  sin.  The 
penalty  of  violated  law  is  death.  Jesus  died,  and  so  paid 
the  penalty  for  every  believer.     He  is  our  lawyer,  and  in 


AT   THEIR    WITS'   END  189 

pleading  our  case  He  claims  that  He  met  every  demand 
upon  the  sinner  by  His  own  death  on  the  cross.  He 
said  :  "  It  is  finished." 

' '  O  that  man  would  praise  the  I^ord  for  his  goodness 
and  for  his  wonderful  works  to  the  children  of  men. ' ' 


XXXVIII 

STUMBLING-BLOCKS 


Then  said  he  unto  the  disciples,  It  is  impossible 
but  that  offenses  will  come :  but  woe  unto  him 
through  whom  they  come  !  It  were  better  for 
him  that  a  millstone  were  hanged  about  his 
neck,  and  he  cast  into  the  sea,  than  that  he 
should  offend  one  of  these  little  ones. 

— I<UKE  xvii  :  I,  2. 


^T^  HE  original  of  ' '  offense ' '  is  ska7idalo7i ;  hence  our 

■*■    I        Bnglish  word  scandal.     Its  literal  meaning  is 

^^«l      stumbling-block,     Christ  used  it  in  reproving 

Peter  :  "  Thou  art  an  offense  unto  me." 

The  cross  is  referred  to  as  a  skajidalon.     It  is  to  the 

Jews  a  stumbling-block  and  to  the  Greeks  foolishness. 

Christ  is  spoken  of  as  a  stone  of  stumbling.  The  ap- 
plication is  to  those  who  hinder  people  coming  into  the 
kingdomi. 

I.  A  MAN  MAY  BE  AN  OFFENSE  TO  HIMSELF 

For  example,  a  vicious  temper,  prejudice  against  truth 
and  sound  morals,  a  bad  habit.  He  may  therefore  be  his 
own  worst  enemy. 

When  Cranmer  was  tied  to  the  stake  in  Oxford  and 
the  fagots  were  kindled,  he  thrust  into  the  flame  the  hand 
that  signed  the  recantation,  saying,  "O  thou  unworthy 
hand,  thou  shalt  bum  first." 

190 


STUMBLING-BLOCKS  191 

II.  A  MAN  MAY  OFFEND  THOSE  OUT  OF  THE 
CHURCH 

We  are  a  watched  people.  The  galleries  in  the  sta- 
dium were  crowded  with  witnesses.     Eyes  are  upon  us. 

1 .  We  may  assume  overvtuch  righteousness. — The  Phari- 
sees were  guilty  in  this  respe(5l. 

2.  We  may  be  lawless. — We  offend  when  we  do  not 
pay  our  honest  debts,  when  loose  in  our  business  trans- 
acflions,  when  our  word  can  not  be  depended  upon.  Are 
there  any  such  on  our  church  rolls  ? 

Nathan  called  David's  attention  to  the  matter  of  Uriah 
and  Bathsheba.  Paul  exposed  the  sins  of  the  Roman 
Christians.    Christian  inconsistency  is  a  stumbling-block. 

It  is  a  mistake  to  copy  others.  Christ  is  the  only  true 
model.  One  part  of  Titian's  life  was  wasted  in  copying 
Bellini,  another  in  imitating  Giorgione.  Why  should 
any  one  imitate  any  follower  of  Christ  when  we  have 
Christ  Himself? 

Agesilaus  was  invited  to  hear  a  man  mimic  the  nightin- 
gale. He  refused  because  he  had  heard  the  nightingale 
itself.  The  meaning  is,  Never  copy  the  questionable  life 
and  charadler  of  any  man,  for  the  best  of  men  are  im- 
perfedl,  and  their  imperfedlions  are  more  likely  to  be 
copied  than  their  virtues. 

III.   A  MAN   MAY  OFFEND   THE  WEAK  ONES  IN 
THE  CHURCH 

That  is,  a  man  who  is  not  himself  in  the  Church.  His 
example  is  pernicious  to  the  spiritually  feeble,  the  im- 
pressible, the  unsophisticated,  and  the  unsuspicious. 

I.  The  persecutor. — The  unspeakable  Turk  massacres 
those  who  refuse  to  accept  his  faith.     The  pointed  finger 


192  A    QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

is  still  a  power  for  evil.     There  are  modes  of  cruelty  no 
less  severe  than  ax  or  fagot. 

2.  The  false  teacher. — Not  long  ago  an  infidel  lectured 
on,  "Is  Life  Worth  Living?"  giving  an  answer  in 
the  negative.  Afterward  there  was  an  epidemic  of 
suicides  in  that  neighborhood. 

In  the  Wirtz  Gallery  of  Horrors,  in  Brussels,  there 
is  a  pidlure  of  "  Napoleon's  Welcome  to  Hell,"  in  which 
the  maimed,  the  widowed,  and  the  orphaned  stretch  forth 
their  hands  in  endless  pain.  The  judgment-day  comes 
to  all. 

3.  The  silent  example. — It  is  not  necessary  to  say, 
"  There  is  no  God,"  Just  live  as  if  it  were  so.  No  need 
to  cry,  "Crucify  Him!"  Just  hold  aloof  from  Christ. 
It  is  not  necessary  to  deny  the  Bible.  Just  let  it  remain, 
dust-covered,  on  the  shelf.  The  example  will  be  a  savor 
unto  death. 

Why  break  through  the  neighbor's  garden  to  destroy 
it  ?  Throw  a  handful  of  thistle  seed  into  the  air  and  the 
wind  will  do  the  rest.  The  child  puts  its  little  feet 
into  papa's  footprints  in  the  snow. 

Notice: 

IV.  THE  POSITIVE  SIDE 

There  is  a  silent  influence  for  good  as  well  as  for  evil. 
Years  ago  I  was  under  the  influence  of  that  godly  man, 
Dr.  W,  G,  T.  Shedd,  of  blessed  memory,  both  in  the 
academy  and  in  the  theological  seminary.  I  will  never 
forget  him.  He  was  always  so  gentle,  so  kindly,  so 
true.     His  influence  is  abiding, 

Gabriel  Max's  pidlure,  "  The  Greeting, "  is  suggestive. 
A  young  martyr  maiden  is  in  a  den  of  lions.  A  fierce, 
wild-eyed  beast  is  just  issuing  from  his  cage.     The  gal- 


STUMBLING-BLOCKS  193 

leries  are  filled  with  horror-stricken,  expecflant  people. 
A  rose  has  just  fallen  at  her  feet.  Her  eyes  search  grate- 
fully for  the  kind  hand  that  dropped  it. 

Drop  the  kind  word,  do  the  kind  deed  to  the  suffering 
humanity  as  you  pass  by,  and  never  put  a  straw  in  any- 
body's way  in  the  journey  from  earth  to  heaven. 


XXXIX 
THE   FADING   LEAF 

"We  all  do  fade  as  a  leaf. 


—Isaiah  Ixiv :  6. 


'T^  HE  habit  of  observation  is  better  than  university 

*    I        culture, 
^^1  GaHleo  saw  the  swinging  chandeher  in  Pisa 

cathedral.  He  pondered,  and  drew  his  conclu- 
sion. Isaac  Newton  saw  the  apple  fall  in  his  mother's 
orchard.  He  watched  and  reasoned.  Luther  went  down 
to  Rome  and  observed  its  iniquities.  Hence  the  Refor- 
mation. Isaiah  saw  the  sere  and  yellow  leaf,  and  said 
that  we  are  just  like  that. 

I.  THE   FIRST  LESSON   IS  IN  BEAUX  ARTS 
We  are  living  in  a  beautiful  world.     An  autumn  walk 

through  a  forest  reveals  indescribable  beauty.     No  artist 
can  paint  it.     No  poet  can  sing  it. 

But  a  better  world  awaits  us.  Preparation  was  made 
for  the  coming  of  the  queen  in  Holyrood  Palace.  All 
the  rooms  were  arranged  in  their  best,  but  the  throne- 
room  was  the  most  magnificent  of  all.  Visitors  were 
allowed  to  go  as  far  as  the  threshold  only.  Beautiful 
indeed  is  this  world,  the  antechamber  of  the  King  ;  but 
what  must  be  the  throne-room  up  yonder  ? 

II.  THE   SECOND   LESSON  IS  CHRONOLOGY 

* '  Time  flies. ' '     Any  wrongs  to  undo,  old  grudges  to 
wipe  out,  sins  to  atone  for  ?     Do  not  delay. 
Our  time  here  is  probationary. 
194 


THE  FADING  LEAF  195 

A  Phenician,  removing  to  Rome,  sent  his  possessions 
before  him.  He  chartered  a  fleet  of  transports,  and  one 
by  one  loaded  them.  On  the  last  vessel  that  sailed  he 
was  himself  a  passenger.  On  reaching  Ostia,  the  seaport 
of  the  imperial  city,  he  found  his  fleet  awaiting  him. 
Each  day  is  as  a  vessel  sent  forth  to  the  eternal  shores. 
Alas  !  that  so  many  of  our  ships  should  carry  naught  but 
ballast.     All  shall  meet  us  again  at  Ostia. 

III.   THE   THIRD   LESSON  IS  IN   SENESCENCE 

This  is  the  art  of  growing  old  gracefully  and  well. 
Holmes  said  : 

"  And  If  I  should  chance  to  be 
The  last  leaf  upon  the  tree 

In  the  spring, 
Let  them  smile,  as  I  do  now, 
At  the  old  forsaken  bough 

Where  I  cling." 

The  old  should  know  two  things  well : 

1.  How  to  hold  on. — Usefulness  is  not  over  at  life's 
meridian.  Caesar  planned  his  victorious  campaigns  after 
fift)^  Herschel  discovered  Uranus  after  sixty.  Milton 
wrote  his  ' '  Paradise  Lost ' '  after  he  became  blind  and 
old.  Bismarck  and  Gladstone  did  mighty  work  when 
their  hair  was  white  as  snow. 

2.  How  to  let  go. — Old  Simeon  knew  how  when  he  said, 
' '  Now  lettest  thou  thy  ser\^ant  depart  in  peace,  for  mine 
eyes  have  seen  thy  salvation  !  ' ' 

And  John  :  ' '  Behold,  I  come  !  ' '  Lifting  up  his  with- 
ered hands  he  answered,  "  Amen  !  Even  so  come,  Lord 
Jesus. ' ' 


196  A   QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

IV.  THE   FOURTH   LESSON   IN   MORTALITY 

Why  shudder  at  the  thought  of  death  ?  No  angel  is 
more  gracious.     He  brings  eternal  life. 

1.  Death  is  sure. — The  black  camel  kneels  at  every 
gate.  From  Adam  downward  all  have  gone — gone  at  all 
ages,  from  the  youngest  to  the  oldest. 

2.  Death  cotnes  on  time. — Leaves  do  not  fall  because 
they  are  frost-bitten,  as  is  generally  supposed,  but  be- 
cause they  are  ready  and  ripe  for  falling.  Death  is  no 
accident.  God  makes  no  mistakes.  No  life  is  incom- 
plete, however  otherwise  it  may  seem  to  us. 

V.  THE  FIFTH   LESSON   IS  IMMORTALITY 

The  leaf  leaves  its  memorial  record  behind  it.  There 
is  a  scar  on  the  tree,  an  eloquent  epitaph  of  the  departed. 
So  life  is  followed  by  influence.  Names  may  be  forgot- 
ten, good  deeds  never. 

As  Wordsworth  passed  along  the  country  road  he 
heard  a  reaper  singing  as  he  returned  from  the  field,  and 
the  poet  wrote : 

"  I  listened  till  I  had  my  fill, 
And  as  I  mounted  up  the  hill, 
The  music  in  my  heart  I  bore 
Long  after  it  was  heard  no  more." 

The  singer  goes,  but  the  song  lives  on.  Our  words 
are  spoken  into  a  phonograph  and  reproduced  long  after- 
ward.    Deeds  are  perpetuated  in  character. 

Only  the  husk  falls.     The  life  principle  remains. 

VL  THE   LAST   LESSON  IN  PRACTICAL  RELIGION 

The  soil  furnishes  the  leaf  with  silica  for  its  frame- 
work ;  all  else  comes  from  the  air  and  sun.  So  our 
life,  our  real  life,  which  is  spiritual  in  its  nature,  comes 


THE  FADING  LEAF  197 

from  above.     * '  Except  a  man  is  born  from  above  he  can 
not  see  the  Kingdom  of  God. ' ' 

No  chill  of  autumn  winds  can  reach  the  soul.  The 
framework,  the  body,  departs  to  its  native  soil,  but  that 
which  the  framework  holds  merges  into  realms  of  endless 
felicity. 


XL 
THE   OUTSIDE   OF   THE   PLATTER 


Now  do  ye  Pharisees  make  clean  the  outside  of 
the  cup  and  the  platter. 

— Luke  xi :  39. 


HRiST  refers  to  the  superficial  piety  of  the  Phari- 
sees. 

There  are  six  books  of  the   Mishna.     The 
most  important  part  is  devoted  to  purifications. 

As  to  the  washing  of  hands.  One  and  a  half  egg- 
shells full  of  water  must  be  used.  The  hands  must  be 
held  in  a  certain  position  when  the  water  is  poured  upon 
them.  The  right  hand  must  rub  the  left  and  the  left 
the  right.  Then  they  must  be  held  downward  that  the 
water  might  drip  off.  The  towel  must  be  held  properly. 
The  schools  of  Hillel  and  Shammai  discussed  this  with 
great  earnestness  and  particularity.  There  are  thirty 
chapters  on  cleansing  of  cups  and  platters. 

At  the  marriage  feast  at  Cana  there  were  six  water- 
pots  containing  twenty  gallons  of  water,  each  ready  for 
this  purpose.  This  is  but  a  small  part  of  the  ceremonial 
of  Jewish  life.  The  tombs  were  whitewashed  every  year 
— not  so  much  for  respedl  of  the  dead  as  to  make  their 
grief  conspicuous.  They  were  arranged  along  the  road- 
side. 

Christ  hated  shams.     He  exposed  the  dismal  fraud. 

What  of  the  superficial  piety  of  to-day?  There  is 
much  of  it.     Man  sees  the  outward,  God  the  inward. 

198 


THE  OUTSIDE   OF  THE  PLATTER  199 

Look  to  the  beginning !  Have  that  right.  See  that 
the  soul  is  regenerated.  Many  of  the  shams  of  life  lie  at 
the  beginning. 

There  are  two  things  to  do: 

1.  A^  without  delay . — Quickly.  On  the  impulse  even, 
if  there  is  nothing  else  to  a(5l  upon. 

2.  AH  advisedly. — Count  the  cost.  Deliberation  does 
not  mean  delay.  The  gunner  in  the  thick  of  confiidl 
must  not  fire  at  random,  tho  he  must  fire  at  once. 

Our  Lord  declined  the  services  of  three  men.  One  had 
not  fully  thought  over  the  matter ;  to  him  Jesus  said : 
"The  foxes  have  holes,  but  the  Son  of  Man  hath  not 
where  to  lay  his  head. ' '  Another  wanted  first  to  bury 
his  father  ;  to  him  :  ' '  Let  the  dead  bury  their  dead. ' ' 
A  third  desired  to  bid  good-by  to  the  folks  at  home  ;  to 
him  :  * '  He  that  putteth  his  hand  to  the  plough  and  look- 
eth  back  is  not  worthy  of  the  Kingdom  of  God. ' ' 

Men  who  do  not  hold  out  begin  wrong.  Their  religion 
is  superficial.  Not  always  insincere,  but  always  inade- 
quate. 

Take: 

I.   THE   RELIGION  OF  FORM 

This  was  the  Pharisees'  tithes  and  fastings,  fringes 
and  phyladleries. 

I  know  a  Protestant  church  with  Romanist  leanings. 
It  attracts  sentimental  ladies  of  a  tender  age.  It  will 
neither  go  nor  stay.  The  sermon  is  ten  minutes  long, 
below  mediocrity.  There  is  the  boy  choir,  processionals, 
recessionals,  bowings,  geuufledtions,  swinging  censers, 
lifting  of  the  mass,  holy  millinery,  and  the  dim  religious 
light.  The  effecft  is  wholly  sensuous.  Professor  Tyndall 
calls  that  devotion  purely  mechanical,  and  makes  use  of 
it  to  illustrate  his  theory  of  heat  as  a  mode  of  motion. 


200  A    QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

Were  this  the  only  form  of  religion  we  could  not  blame 
scientists  in  rejedting  it. 

II.   THE  RELIGION  OF  RHAPSODY 

Affedlion  for  Christ  is  but  a  part  of  Christ's  religion. 
The  craze  for  Paderewski  does  not  prove  that  all  his 
enthusiastic  admirers  are  musical  experts.  The  French 
infidel,  M.  Renan,  admired  Christ,  and  said,  "Whatever 
may  be  the  surprises  of  the  future,  Jesus  will  never  be 
surpassed."  And  again,  "All  ages  will  proclaim  that, 
among  the  sons  of  men,  there  is  none  born  greater  than 
Jesus."  But  Renan  was  not  a  Christian.  The  rather 
he  openly  opposed  the  teaching  of  Jesus. 

There  is  a  play  recently  produced  in  New  York  bearing 
a  religious  title.  Christian  people  patronize  it  on  that 
account.  But  in  it  Judas  is  outdone.  The  woman  whose 
feet  take  hold  on  hell  is  bad  enough  as  she  stands  at  her 
door  flaunting  her  shame  ;  but  a  thousand  times  worse  is 
the  painted  thing  that  wears  a  lily  on  her  breast,  holds 
a  crucifix  in  her  hand,  and  throws  her  vile  garments  over 
the  effigy  of  Christ  upon  the  cross.  Yet  some  Christian 
people  will  think  themselves  pious  in  patronizing  it. 
The  world  hates  a  lie. 

III.  THE  RELIGION  OF  PHILOSOPHY 

This  is  mere  affectation.  True  religion  is  simplicity 
itself.  Here's  a  quotation  from  a  philosophic  preacher : 
' '  The  incomprehensibility  of  the  apparatus  developed  in 
the  machinery  of  the  universe  may  be  considered  a  super- 
eminent  manifestation  of  stupendous  majesties,  whether  a 
man  stands  upon  the  platform  of  his  own  mind  and  pon- 
ders scrutinizingly  on  its  undecipherable  characters,  or 
whether  he  looks  abroad  over  the  magnificent  equipments 


THE  OUTSIDE   OF  THE  PLATTER  201 

and  regalities  of  nature,  surveying  its  amplitudes  in  all 
their  scope,  and  its  unfathomabilities  in  all  their  profund- 
ities." What  is  this  man  trying  to  say?  This:  "  When 
I  consider  the  heavens,  the  work  of  thy  fingers,  the  moon 
and  the  stars  which  thou  hast  ordained,  what  is  man 
that  thou  art  mindful  of  him  and  the  son  of  man  that  thou 
regardest  him  ?  ' '  Then  why  did  he  not  say  it  ?  Is  not 
this  monstrous  trifling  ? 

IV.   THE  RELIGION  OF  SELF-CULTURE 

1.  //  is  not  always  modest. — It  takes  issue  with  the  Holy 
Spirit.     ' '  He  shall  not  speak  of  himself. ' ' 

2.  //  is  purely  selfish. — One  way  of  treating  nervous 
debility  is  by  massage.  The  same  result  might  be  reached 
by  the  patient  sawing  wood  or  attending  to  household 
tasks.  Much  Christian  debility  is  due  to  concern  about 
ourselves.  Dr.  Abernethy's  prescription  is  :  "  Do  some- 
thing for  somebody. ' ' 

The  captain  of  an  Atlantic  liner  must  not  be  over  ner- 
vous about  his  own  life-preserver  ;  his  main  business  is  to 
get  his  passengers  safely  over  the  sea. 

V.  THE   RELIGION  OF  ALTRUISM 

Secular  reformers  meet,  discuss,  and  adjourn.  The 
fact  is,  that  nearly  all  the  humanitarian  enterprises  are 
carried  on  by  the  Christian  Church.  Secular  societies  are 
intermittent  in  their  work,  whereas  the  Church  has  been 
in  session  ever  since  the  day  of  Pentecost. 

Pity,  kindness,  and  benevolence  are  not  the  highest 
elements  of  humanity.  The  lower  orders  of  animals 
possess  these  characteristics.  In  Dore's  picture  of  the 
Deluge  a  mother  is  represented  clinging  to  the  rock  with 
one  hand  and  with  the  other  reaching  out  into  the  surg- 


203  A   QUIVER  OF  ARROWS 

ing  flood  to  save  her  drowning  child.  But  on  the  sum- 
mit of  a  rock  is  a  tigress,  who  has  climbed  thither  for 
safety,  and  on  her  back  is  her  cub. 

Much  of  boasted  altruism  is  mere  sentiment.  A 
mother  desiring  to  adopt  a  child  inquires  for  a  blue-eyed 
baby.  The  successful  beggar  is  the  blind  pauper  with  a 
sweet  face.     Sentamentalists  pass  over  the  repulsive. 

Who  are  moved  by  principle  ?  Is  not  true  benevolence 
moved  by  principle  rather  than  emotion  or  sentiment? 
' '  Inasmuch  as  ye  have  done  it  unto  the  least  of  these  my 
brethren,  ye  have  done  it  unto  me." 

Christ's  religion  alone  takes  hold  upon  the  whole 
nature  of  man.  It  does  not  simply  touch  him  at  one  or 
two  points.  Heart,  reason,  and  conscience  alike  are 
affected.  It  reaches  eyes  and  ears,  hands  and  feet,  and 
permeates  through  the  whole  life  and  character. 

It  also  meets  the  Divine  requirements.  It  is  not 
enough  to  come  to  Jesus.  Jesus  is  also  Christ  the  Mes- 
siah, as  well  as  brother.  Jesus  Christ,  our  brother  and 
Messiah,  is  also  L^ord.  Lord  to  protect,  to  command,  and 
to  rule. 

Jesus,  Christ,  and  Lord  is  Prophet,  Priest,  and  King — 
all  three  in  one.  Prophet,  to  instruct ;  Priest,  to  atone  for 
sin  ;  and  King,  to  bring  every  thought  into  subjedtion  to 
Him. 

A  clean  outside  is  pleasing  to  man,  but  a  clean  inside 
as  well  is  pleasing  to  God. 


XLI 
THE   SIGN  OF   THE   PROPHET   JONAS 

An  evil  and  adulterous  generation  seeketh  after 
a  sign  ;  and  there  shall  no  sign  be  given  to  it,  but 
the  sign  of  the  prophet  Jonas. 

— Matthew  xii  :  39. 


SO  SAID  Christ  to  the  demand  of  the  Pharisees  for  a 
___        sign  that  He  was  the  Messiah. 
^^^1  He  refused  for  two  reasons  : 

I.  Because  it  would  have  beeji  no  use. — On  ac- 
count of  their  unbelief.  A  Hindoo  conjurer  was  com- 
manded by  his  rajah  to  gather  peaches  in  winter.  He 
said,  "I  will  send  up  my  little  son  to  the  orchard  and  see. ' ' 
He  tossed  a  ball  of  twine  in  the  air  and  ordered  the  lad  to 
climb.  The  boy  ascended  hand  over  hand  till  he  disap- 
peared from  sight.  Presently  a  peach  fell  out  of  heaven — 
another  and  another.  Then  came  a  bloody  hand,  a 
foot,  a  gory  head  and  trunk.  The  conjurer  wailed, 
"They  have  caught  my  son  and  killed  him!  O  Rajah 
and  good  people,  give  me  money  to  bury  him!"  It  was 
done.  He  gathered  the  several  parts  together  as  if  for 
burial,  threw  his  cloak  over  them,  waved  his  wand,  and, 
lo!  the  lad  walked  forth!  Now  here  was  apparently  a 
sign  from  heaven.  Christ  could  have  performed  a  feat 
like  that — more,  a  genuine  sign.  But  it  would  have 
reached  reason  only.  The  heart  would  have  remained 
the  same.     Christ  did  not  come  to  startle  and  bewilder. 

"A  man  convinced  against  his  will 
Is  of  the  same  opinion  still." 

203 


204  A   QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

2.  Because  they  had  signs  enough : 

{a)  The  Bible.  That  contained  evidence  of  His  Mes- 
siahship  in  every  essential  part  of  it.  They  believed  the 
Bible,  but  suffered  self-interest  and  prejudice  to  blind 
their  eyes  to  the  truth  of  it. 

(^)  The  sign  of  the  Prophet  Jonas.  They  believed 
the  story  of  Jonah.     They  never  doubted  the  record. 

Now  a  sign  is  something  that  signifies.  What  is  this 
sign  of  Jonah  ?     What  did  our  Lord  mean  by  it  ? 

I.    IT  WAS  A  VINDICATION  OF  THE  TRUTH  OF 
PROPHECY 

On  the  way  to  Emmaus,  Jesus  said  :  "Thus  it  is  writ- 
ten, and  thus  it  behooved  Christ  to  suffer  and  to  rise 
from  the  dead. ' ' 

It  is  the  fashion  to  make  light  of  the  story  of  Jonah 
and  the  great  fish  as  a  fable. 

1.  The  Jews  did  not  so  regard  it. — They  never  called 
the  event  into  question.     To  them  it  was  historic. 

2.  The  early  Christiatis  believed  it. — Pictures  of  Jonah 
and  the  great  fish  are  on  the  graves  of  the  catacombs. 
The  dead  were  laid  away  in  the  hope  of  a  resurredlion  by 
the  sign  of  the  prophet  Jonah.  As  the  sea  monster 
vomited  up  the  prophet,  so  the  grave  one  day  would  give 
up  its  dead.  Life  and  immortality  were  thus  indicated 
as  an  article  of  faith. 

3.  Christ  Himself  believed  it. — He  cited  it  as  a  guar- 
antee of  His  own  resurredlion.  Had  He  regarded  the 
story  as  mere  folk-lore  He  could  not  have  made  use  of  it. 
We  do  not  use  fables  as  facts.  Try  it  in  a  court  of  jus- 
tice. ' '  As  surely  as  Jason  sought  and  found  the  Golden 
Fleece,  so  surely  will  I  tell  the  truth. ' '     Will  that  answer 


THE  SIGN  OF  THE  PROPHET  JONAS  205 

for  an  oath ?     No.     What  will ?    This :    "As  surely  as 
there  is  a  God  in  heaven,  I  will  tell  the  truth." 

Try  it  in  a  common  matter,  like  the  contradl  for  a 
debt.  Make  your  note  thus  :  "  By  the  sign  of  Jack  and 
the  Beanstalk  or  of  Cinderella  and  her  Crystal  Slipper, 
I  promise  to  pay  when  this  obligation  falls  due."  Does 
this  seem  preposterous?  Not  more  so  than  if  Jesus 
referred  to  Jonah  as  a  fable  to  verify  the  truth  that 
He  was  the  Son  of  God. 

II.   IT  WAS  DESIGNED  TO  VERIFY  AND  EMPHA- 
SIZE CHRIST'S  MESSIAHSHIP 

The  antitype  was  the  resurrection  of  Christ.  He  veri- 
fies His  claim  by  this.  Paul  argued  in  the  same  way  in 
writing  to  the  Roman  Christians. 

The  doctrine  covers  His  relationship  with  His  people  : 

1.  He  is  otir  prophet. — That  is,  a  teacher  in  spiritual 
things.  He  stated  them  with  authority.  Can  His  word 
be  depended  upon  ?  Has  the  experience  of  His  followers 
ever  proved  it  ?  Let  the  millions  of  the  past  and  present 
give  testimony  and  it  will  be  like  the  sound  of  many 
waters. 

2.  He  is  our  Priest — It  was  the  duty  of  the  priest  to 
offer  sacrifices.  Christ  offered  Himself  as  ' '  the  Lamb 
of  God,  which  taketh  away  the  sin  of  the  world." 

3.  He  is  our  King. — To  protect  and  rule.  What  is  the 
greatest  power  on  earth  ? 

Wealth?  Croesus  is  dead.  "Fie,  fie!  Shall  Death 
have  me  ? ' '  said  Cardinal  Beaufort.  ' '  Are  my  treasuries 
empty?     Go,  bribe  him."     But  Beaufort  is  dead. 

Navies  and  armies?  Pharaoh's  hosts  went  down  in 
the  Red  Sea.  All  that  represented  that  power  in  the  past 
are  dead. 


206  A    QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

Imperial  power?  Death  stands  at  the  gate  of  the 
cemetery,  and,  laughing,  says  :  "I  gather  them  in  !  I 
gather  them  in  !  "  Queen  Elizabeth,  covering  her  eyes 
with  her  hands,  cried :  ' '  My  kingdom  for  an  inch  of 
time!"  But  Elizabeth  lies  side  by  side  in  the  great 
Abbey  with  other  dead  rulers. 

Death  conquers  all  and  Christ  conquers  death.  "I 
am  the  resurredlion  and  the  life. ' ' 

III.  IT  WAS  INTENDED  AS  AN   ASSURANCE  OF 
LIFE   AND    IMMORTALITY 

' '  Life  and  Immortality  are  brought  to  light  in  the 
Gospel." 

The  world  had  always  dreamed,  guessed,  wondered, 
and  hoped  in  regard  to  immortality.  But  the  mists  have 
rolled  away. 

Christ  came  forth  from  the  grave.  He  showed  Him- 
self to  multitudes  before  he  ascended  to  heaven  in  the 
presence  of  hundreds  of  people  on  the  crest  of  that  moun- 
tain which  to-day  ovenshadows  Jerusalem.  The  apostles 
and  all  true  Christian  teachers  have  proclaimed  and  still 
proclaim  the  mighty  truth. 

May  God  bless  it ! 


XLII 

IN   THE   FIELDS   AT   EVENTIDE 


And  Isaac  went  out  to  meditate  in  the  field  at 
eventide. 

—Genesis  xxiv :  63. 


iTTLE  is  known  of  Isaac.  He  was  one  of  the 
ancient  nobodies,  the  son  of  a  great  man  and 
the  father  of  another. 

Two  things,  however,  make  him  illustrious  : 

1 .  He  was  the  child  of  the  Covenant. 

2.  He  7vas  a  type  of  Christ. — lyike  Jesus,  he  suffered 
himself  to  be  bound,  and  was  willing  to  be  offered  as  a 
sacrifice.     His  life  was  uneventful. 

He  meditated  at  eventide  in  his  fields.  Of  what  ?  His 
broad  acres,  money-making,  the  coming  Messiah,  wed- 
lock ?  The  latter  probably,  for  his  bride-to-be  was  ap- 
proaching. 

Here  is  a  lesson  on  thinking.     Observe  : 

I.   THINK 

The  underlying  sin  of  sins  is  thoughtlessness.  The 
saintly  McCheyne  said :  ' '  More  people  perish  for  want  of 
thought  than  in  any  other  way." 

The  blunders  of  life  are  due  to  this.  You  voted  the 
wrong  ticket  because  you  did  not  think.  You  lost  your 
money  in  that  losing  venture  because  you  did  not  think. 
Pernicious  habits  are  due  to  this.  You  bought  a  Sunday 
newspaper  because  you  did  not  think,  and  now  you  are 

207 


208  A    QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

careless  of  Sabbath  observances.  It  is  want  of  thought 
that  leads  even  to  crime  and  insanity.  Our  prisons  and 
asylums  are  filled  with  men  who  ' '  did  not  think  ' '  when 
they  began  their  evil  and  degrading  pradlises. 

If  men  would  but  think  one  hour  a  day  they  would 
defeat  the  devil  and  stand  acquitted  at  the  judgment-day. 
There  is  no  room  for  the  plea,  "  I  didn't  think." 

II.   THINK  IN  SOLITUDE 

Americans  have  the  reputation  of  doing  everything  in 
a  hurry.     Solitude  ?     Why,  it  is  not  in  their  vocabulary. 

On  the  seal  of  Vespasian  was  an  anchor  and  a  dolphin, 
meaning,  "  Fixt  opinion  and  swift  execution."  Con- 
vidlions,  like  an  anchor  gripping  the  rock  and  a  swift 
spirit  that  speeds  to  its  purpose  as  a  fish  cleaves  the 
waters  of  the  sea.  But  that  distindlion  is  reached  only 
within  the  closed  door. 

III.  THINK  TO  SOME   PURPOSE 

Dreams,  like  castles  in  the  air,  amount  to  very  little. 

Thoughts  can  be  governed.  The  Scotchman  says: 
"Do  wi'  yer  thoughts  as  wi'  yer  ill  neeber:  dinna  gie 
him  a  stool  to  sit  on. " 

Profitable  thinking  is  an  idea. 

In  my  college  days  I  knew  an  old  man  with  long  white 
hair,  who  had  heard  a  man  say  in  the  shop:  "  Why  does 
not  some  one  invent  a  sewing-machine  ?  ' '  Klias  Howe 
had  the  same  thought,  but  went  on  with  his  thinking. 
He  thought  02it  the  sewing-machine. 

One  secret  of  profitable  thinking  is  attention.  Con- 
verge the  faculties.  Arrive  at  something  definite.  Be- 
ware of  squandering  energy. 


IN   THE  FIELDS  AT  EVENTIDE  309 

IV.   THINK  ON  THE  HIGHEST  THEMES 

Truths,  knocking  at  our  door,  demand  attention. 

1.  There  is  the  past. — I^ooking  over  the  shoulder  you 
will  see  Sin.  The  criminal  hides.  Retribution  hounds 
him. 

You  will  see  Dsath.  That  follows  after.  You  do 
not  like  to  think  of  it,  but  that  does  not  alter  the  fadl. 

You  will  see  the  Cross.  ' '  Come,  let  us  reason  to- 
gether ;  tho  your  sins  be  as  scarlet,  they  shall  be  white 
as  snow ;  tho  they  be  red  like  crimson,  they  shall  be  as 
wool." 

2.  There  is  the  prese7it  hour. — ^sop  tells  of  a  philoso- 
pher who,  looking  skyward,  fell  into  a  pit  and  cried  for 
help.  A  shepherd  pulled  him  out,  and  said  :  ' '  I^ook  more 
to  thy  feet  and  less  to  the  skies,  and  thou  wilt  save  thy- 
self much  trouble."  Present  duty  and  present  responsi- 
bility confront  us  all. 

3.  There  is  the  future. — A  wise  man  will  not  shut  his 
eyes  to  the  inevitable.  Time  is  a  handbreadth.  Eter- 
nity, who  can  measure  it  ? 

The  age  calls  for  thought — thought  on  the  highest 
themes.  The  eventide  is  the  time  to  think.  It  was  there 
where  the  fairest  sight  greeted  Isaac's  eyes. 

Companies  of  angels  come  to  us  in  the  silent  hour  of 
meditation.  Troops  of  promises  and  bright  hopes  and 
aspirations.  Christ  comes  to  the  thoughtful  and  says. 
' '  Peace  be  unto  you  ! ' ' 


XLIII 
SHIBBOLETH 

Then  said  they  unto  him,  Say  now  Shibboleth : 

and  he  said  Sibboleth  :  for  he  could  not  frame  to 

pronounce  it  right. 

— Judges  xii :  6. 

PPHTHAH  was  a  bandit.  He  had  been  driven  out 
of  Gilead.  He  fled  to  the  hill  country  and 
gathered  a  band  of  "vain  fellows  "  about  him. 
He  was  sent  for,  however,  in  the  time  of 
Gilead's  extremity,  and  proved  himself  a  great  captain. 
In  battle  with  the  Ephraimites  he  smote  them  hip  and 
thigh.  He  placed  guards  at  the  fords  of  Jordan  to  head 
off  the  fugitives.  The  Gileadites  and  Ephraimites  were 
cousins,  and  could  only  be  distinguished  by  their  articula- 
tion. The  Ephraimites  used  no  aspirate.  So,  as  Milton 
says,  they  fell 

"Without  reprieve,  adjudged  to  death 
For  want  of  well  pronouncing  Shibboleth." 

The  two  peoples,  divided  only  by  the  width  of  the  Jor- 
dan, were  clearly  differentiated  in  this  manner,  just  as  we 
detedl  a  Frenchman  by  his  inability  to  say  ' '  thin ' '  or 
"thistle." 

We  think  of  shibboleth  as  the  watchword  of  a  party. 
Its  significance  goes  deeper.  The  power  of  life  and  death 
is  not  in  such  names  as  Luther,  Calvin,  or  Wesley.  They 
represent  great  fadls,  to  be  sure,  and  the  unregenerate 
can  not  speak  them. 

One  shibboleth  is  the  great  word 

210 


SHIBBOLETH  211 

I.  GOD 

Those  who  have  not  entered  upon  the  spiritual  life  can 
say:  "  Law,  Force,  Energy — Something  not  ourselves 
that  maketh  for  righteousness. ' '  But  they  can  not  appre- 
hend the  Deity  in  the  Christian  sense. 

He  is  the  one  God.  Not  multitudinous  as  the  poly- 
theists  make  Him,  nor  an  all-pervasive,  nitrous  oxide, 
unconscious  entity,  or  nonentity,  as  pantheists  make 
Him ;  but  one  great,  living,  thinking,  reigning  personal 
Sun  at  the  center  of  the  universe. 

He  is  the  triune  God — Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost. 
These  three  are  one,  as  light  is  one,  though  we  speak  of 
the  light  of  the  sun,  the  light  of  the  moon,  and  the  light 
of  the  stars.  Man  himself  is  a  tripartite  being — body, 
soul,  and  spirit.  The  flame  of  a  candle  is  light,  heat,  and 
eledtricty — these  three  are  one.  These  are  imperfect 
analogies,  we  grant,  but  they  throw  light  on  the  mystery 
of  the  Trinity.  It  is  not  to  be  rejected  because  of  the 
mystery  that  is  in  it. 

He  is  the  incarnate  God.  "  The  word  was  made  flesh 
and  dwelt  among  men. ' '  God  did  it.  It  was  as  easy  for 
Him  to  do  that  as  to  do  other  things  we  have  no  doubt 
about.  Why  should  the  world  reject  this  doctrine  ?  The 
same  truth  finds  expression  in  Greek  and  Roman  mythol- 
ogies and  Oriental  religions. 

Another  shibboleth  is 

II.    FAITH 

Faith  is  the  apprehension  of  fadls  in  the  province  of 
the  unseen. 

All  knowledge  is  covered  by  two  terms  :  Faith  and 
Science. 

I.  Science  covers  the  field  of  the  visible. — This  deals  only 


213  A    QUIVER  OF  ARROWS 

with  fadls.  Much  the  larger  part  of  science  deals  with 
hypotheses.  A  young  man  in  Yale  Divinity  Hall  was 
pradlising  with  an  air-gun.  His  aim  being  poor,  he  sent 
a  ball  through  a  professor's  window.  It  happened  that 
this  man  was  a  professor  of  science.  Now  was  his  oppor- 
tunity. He  computed  the  parabola.  For  are  not  the 
data  here  ?  The  round  hole  in  the  window  and  the  ball 
embedded  in  the  wall.  Thus  knowing  the  exact  curve, 
he  was  able  to  trace  the  projedtile  to  a  certain  room. 
It  belonged  to  a  "  theolog. , ' '  who  protested  his  innocence. 
But  exadt  science  had  sealed  his  doom.  At  this  jundture, 
however,  the  real  malefadtor  stepped  out  of  the  closet 
and  confessed  his  guilt,  thus  exonerating  his  room-mate. 
Physical  science  is  not  necessarily  untrue  because  it  may 
make  wrong  deductions  when  it  is  outside  of  its  sphere. 
But  in  all  things  that  can  be  felt  and  seen  it  must  be 
exadt  or  it  is  not  science. 

2.  Faith  covers  the  field  of  the  unseen  and  the  eternal. — 
A  larger  field  than  that  of  science.  True  faith  is  just  as 
exadt  as  true  science.  Do  not  confound  it  with  credulity, 
which  rests  on  mere  hearsay.  Faith  is  the  most  substan- 
tial thing  in  the  world. 

The  sources  of  faith's  evidences  are  prayer.  Scripture, 
and  experience.  In  prayer  God  speaks  diredlly  to  the 
soul.  Science  can  furnish  no  such  evidence  as  the  Mag- 
dalene had  when  our  L/ord  said,  "  Thy  sins  be  forgiven 
thee."  This  great  spiritual  fadt,  the  pardon  of  sin,  is  as 
real  as  a  stone  or  a  planet,  but  logarithms  can  not  demon- 
strate it. 

God  speaks  also  to  the  soul  through  Scripture.  Scrip- 
ture is  our  rule  of  faith  and  practise.  Its  authenticity 
and  credibility  were  before  our  confession.  The  helms- 
man steers  by  his  chart.     He  made  sure  that  it  had  the 


SHIBBOLETH  213 

proper  seal  and  signature  upon  it  when  he  started  out  on 
the  voyage.  He  asks  no  more  questions.  He  would  be 
a  fool  if  at  every  flurry  of  wind,  when  the  ship  begins  to 
reel  and  toss,  to  question  the  authenticity  of  his  chart. 
He  believes  it  and  consults  it. 

And  then  experience.  "That  which  mine  eyes  have 
seen  and  my  hands  have  handled  of  the  word  of  life  de- 
clare I  unto  you. ' '  If  Christ  has  come  into  my  life  and 
transformed  it  I  know  it,  and  can  not  be  made  to  believe 
otherwise.  Such  convidlion  is  impossible  to  those  who 
have  not  known  Him.  Can  you  send  a  man  to  see 
Chamouix  for  you  ?  Can  you  listen  to  the  Oratorio  of 
the  Messiah  by  proxy  ? 

So  the  infinite  world  of  invisible  fadls  is  open  to  faith 
only.  You  look  at  the  stars  and  bless  the  telescope  ;  but 
5^ou  look  through  the  interstellar  spaces,  on  and  on,  and 
say  :  ' '  Somewhere  yonder  are  heaven  and  the  great  white 
throne !  This  is  the  path  which  no  fowl  knoweth  and  the 
eagle  eye  hath  not  seen.  Here  there  is  no  use  for  the 
telescope  nor  for  fleshly  sight.  Faith  alone  can  appre- 
hend the  unseen  and  the  eternal, ' ' 

Another  Shibboleth  is 

III.   PROVIDENCE 

The  world  can  say  ' '  Kismet !  "  It  believes  in  Fortune  ; 
dreads  a  mysterious,  supernatural  Something ;  is  afraid 
to  sail  on  Friday;  dare  not  sit  down  at  table  with  thir- 
teen ;  carries  a  crooked  sixpence  in  its  pocket ;  nails  a 
horseshoe  to  its  mast.  But  we  believe  in  God  at  the 
center,  ruling  all,  even  to  the  detail  of  the  universal  and 
harmonious  plan. 

Here  are  three  truths  covering  the  past,  present,  and 
future : 


314  A    QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

1.  Predestination. — The  world  refuses  to  articulate  that 
word.  How  simple  the  dogma!  If  there  is  a  God,  He 
must  foreknow  ;  if  He  foreknows,  then  the  ultimate  fadts 
are  a  certainty.  A  fadt  which  was  eternally  known  and 
certain  to  the  Divine  mind  must  have  been  predesti- 
nated. 

Is  it  objected  that  this  would  interfere  with  the  freedom 
of  the  will?  Man  is  just  as  free  as  if  there  had  been  no 
decree  at  all.  It  does  not  interfere  with  the  freedom  of 
your  choice  that  your  wife  is  preparing  dinner  for  you, 
that  she  knows  what  you  are  going  to  eat,  that  she 
ordains  just  what  you  are  going  to  eat  and  nothing  else. 
Neither  does  the  facft  that  whatever  I  do  has  been  eter- 
nally clear  to  the  Divine  mind  affedl  my  doing  what  I 
will. 

2.  Government. — I  am  under  Divine  supervision.  I^ast 
night  I  slept — went  into  the  land  of  forgetfulness.  Did 
God  forget  me  ?  Who  kept  me  while  in  that  condition  ? 
I  awoke  this  morning.  Consciousness  returned.  I  came 
back  from  forgetfulness.  Who  brought  me  back  ?  My- 
self ?  Nature  ?  Then  what  ?  Behold  enough  to  utter  the 
shibboleth,  God.  Who  took  my  hand  all  day  long  and 
kept  me  from  accident  and  from  sudden  death  ?  I  can  not 
escape  from  the  care  and  supervision  of  God,  neither  do  I 
want  to;  for  logic  and  common  sense  compel  me  to  ac- 
cept the  blessed  truth. 

3.  Grace. — Grace  is  within  the  sphere  of  Providence. 
It  is  the  most  special  of  all  special  providences.  The 
world  sees  sin  and  penalty,  but  the  Christian  can  see  one 
thing  further  :  the  Divine  Father  in  the  redemption  by 
the  Cross.  The  world  believes  in  karma,  the  doctrine  of 
consequences;  but  the  Christian  says  ;  "  God  so  loved  the 
world,  that  He  gave  His  only  begotten  Son,  that  whoso- 


SHIBBOLETH  215 

ever  believeth  in  him  should  not  perish,  but  have  ever- 
lasting life." 

Still  another  shibboleth  is 

IV.   RIGHTEOUSNESS 
The  world  can  say  "Morality."    But  righteousness  is  a 
different  thing.     Morality  is  personal  merit.     Righteous- 
ness is  godliness.     It  comprehends  a  trio  of  doctrines. 

1.  Regeneratioyi. — Not  outward  seeming  nor  resolving 
nor  reforming,  but  an  inward  change.  A  lion  in  a  cage 
is  a  lion  still. 

Nicodemus  understood  morality  and  reformation,  but 
not  a  new  heart,  a  new  conscience,  a  new  mind,  a  new 
man.     Yet  Christ  insisted  upon  regeneration. 

2.  Sandificatioji. — This  is  the  Holy  Spirit's  work.  He 
says,  Be  like  Christ  and  I  will  help  3^ou.  This  is  some- 
thing better  than  ethical  culture.  Ethical  culture  is  good 
enough,  but  it  is  one  sided.  You  can  buy  carpet  that 
way,  printed  on  one  side,  at  a  quarter  a  yard.  Sanctifica- 
tion,  however,  is  ingrained.  True  character  is  dyed  in  the 
wool  and  it  wears. 

3.  Imputation. — Nothing  but  this  can  make  man  per- 
fedl.  Be  as  good  as  you  can  be  in  the  name  of  God  and 
manhood  ;  but  then  confess,  in  all  honesty,  that  you  are 
not  as  good  as  you  should  be.  The  last  touch  is  put  on 
chara(5ter  when  Christ  throws  about  us  the  white  robe  of 
His  righteousness,  His  infinite  merit. 

Yet  another  shibboleth  is 

V.   THE  KINGDOM  OF  CHRIST 

The  world  speaks  of  the  philosophy  of  history,  the 
logic  of  events,  the  evolution  of  the  race. 

The  Christian  finds  the  solution  of  these  problems  in 
the  Kingdom  of  Christ. 


216  A    QUIVER  OF  ARROWS 

The  world  sa5^s,  "Gold,  pleasure,  personal  emolument 
— let  us  eat  and  drink  and  be  merry."  The  Christian 
says,  "  Seek  ye  first  the  Kingdom  of  God." 

This  Kingdom  has  its  beginning  in  a  surrender  of  the 
heart  to  Christ.  It  is  "  within  you."  We  are  not  in  the 
Kingdom  till  the  Kingdom  is  in  us.  All  must  be  brought 
to  the  King. 

Again  :  it  is  about  us.  It  grows — multiplies  by  every 
new  recruit. 

This  is,  ultimately,  the  setting  up  of  the  Kingdom  of 
Christ.     His  sovereignity  is  supreme. 

There  is  one  watchword  at  heaven's  gate  :  "In  His 
Name."  All  other  shibboleths  will  fail.  It  was  the 
watchword  of  the  old  Crusaders.  A  knight  who  was  pur- 
sued, drew  near  the  castle,  riding  hot  and  fast,  cried^ 
' '  In  His  Name  ! ' '  Up  went  the  drawbridge,  open  flew 
the  gates,  and  he  was  safe. 

Have  you  learned  it  ?  Can  you  give  the  countersign  ? 
Can  you  say  it  from  the  heart :  ' '  J:esus  ! ' ' 


XLIV 
SUNDAY   PLEASURES 

If  thou  turn  away  thy  foot  from  the  sabbath, 
from  doing  thy  pleasure  on  my  holy  day  ;  and 
call  the  sabbath  a  delight,  the  holy  of  the  I<ord, 
honorable ;  and  shalt  honor  him,  not  doing 
thine  ovrn  waj-s,  nor  finding  thine  own  pleasure, 
nor  speaking  thine  own  words:  then  shalt  thou 
delight  thyself  in  the  I,ord  ;  and  I  will  cause 
thee  to  ride  on  the  high  places  of  the  earth,  and 
feed  thee  with  the  heritage  of  Jacob  thy  father : 
for  the  mouth  of  the  I<ord  hath  spoken  it. 

—Isaiah  Iviii :  13,  14. 

f  *Tr*  HE  sin  of  our  time  is  Sabbath  desecration. 
L  J^    1  It  used  to  be  customary  to  put  chains  across 

t^i^^        avenues  in  the  neighborhood  of  churches  while 
service  was  going  on. 

Now  we  hear  the  rattle  of  chariots  and  the  rumble  of 
horse-cars.  Theaters  are  thrown  open,  athletic  parks 
are  filled  with  plaj^ers,  the  boulevards  are  thronged  with 
wheelmen,  dance-halls  are  the  scenes  of  the  gay  and  the 
giddy,  and  so  on  almost  ad  libitum. 

Observe : 

I.    THE    SABBATH    RESTS   ON   DIVINE    AUTHORITY 

It  will  not  be  disputed  that  the  Decalog  came  from 
God,  nor  that  He  had  a  right  to  institute  laws  for  man's 
guidance. 

Some  do  say  that  Christ  abrogated  the  fourth  com- 
mandment. He,  however,  found  that  commandment 
overlaid  with  human  traditions.  The  Rabbinical  exac- 
tions were  intolerable.     A  man  must  not  walk  in  a  graln- 

217 


318  A  QUIVER  OF  ARROWS 

field  lest  the  ungodly  should  say  that  he  had  been  thresh- 
ing ;  nor  chase  a  butterfly,  lest  one  might  say  that  he  had 
been  hunting ;  nor,  in  feeding  his  fowls,  leave  grain 
on  the  ground,  for  it  might  seem  like  sowing;  nor,  in 
dipping  a  radish  in  salt,  leave  it  there,  for  it  might  look 
like  pickling.  Jesus  did  not  destroy  the  commandment, 
but  rather  restored  it  to  its  proper  place  and  meaning. 
A  ship  is  docked  to  scrape  off  the  barnacles.  He  would 
be  a  foolish  man  to  say  that  that  was  equivalent  to  scut- 
tling it.  Jesus  simply  stripped  the  fourth  commandment 
of  its  accumulated  barnacles  and  gave  it  back  to  the 
people  in  its  original  form. 

11.     THE    SABBATH    RESTS    ON    OUR    FILIAL    RELA- 
TION WITH   GOD 

He  made  man  in  His  own  image.  That  establishes 
our  relationship  with  Him.  ' '  Now  are  we  the  sons  of 
God." 

When  James  II.  of  England  heard  of  the  approach  of 
Dutch  William,  he  fled  by  a  little  boat  on  the  Thames. 
Passing  by  I^ambeth  Palace,  he  dropped  the  Stuart's  seal 
in  the  river;  but  it  was  fished  up.  The  Sabbath  is  like 
that  seal — it  keeps  up  our  relation  with  the  Throne.  To 
disregard  it  is  to  be  disloyal.  It  is  we  and  not  it  who 
are  injured  by  its  desecration. 

III.   THE  SABBATH  IS  INTERWOVEN   WITH  OUR 
PHYSICAL  CONSTITUTION 

The  observance  of  this  law  preserves  health.  Violation 
of  it  breaks  it  down. 

Dr.  Haegler,  the  scientist,  calls  attention,  in  his  work 
on  ' '  The  Expenditure  and  Repair  of  Vital  Force, ' '  to 
the  relation  between  sleep  and  Sabbath  rest.     He  holds 


SUN-DA  Y  PLEASURES  219 

that  Sabbath  rest  is  as  necessary  as  sleep  to  regain  nor- 
mal vigor.  That  scientific  fadt  is  corroborated  by  experi- 
ence, and  indeed  is  based  upon  it. 

IV.    THE    SABBATH    IS    NECESSARY    TO    SPIRITUAL 

LIFE 

Without  it  man  would  naturally  drift  into  a  cold  and 
secular  life.  Spiritual  death  would  follow  as  a  conse- 
quence. The  soul  should  have  a  chance  to  live  and 
flourish  as  well  as  the  body.  God  has  provided  for  that. 
He  who  sets  it  aside  does  it  to  his  own  detriment  and 
everlasting  peril. 

How  should  the  day  be  observed  ? 

1.  By  laying  aside  imnecessary  work. — All  work  except 
works  of  mercy  and  of  necessity.  A  ship  may  sail  at 
sea,  but  must  not  start  on  that  day,  because  the  captain 
has  a  choice  of  days.  "  In  it  thou  shalt  not  do  any  work, 
thou,  nor  thy  son,  nor  thy  daughter,  nor  thy  manservant, 
nor  thy  maidservant,  nor  thy  cattle,  nor  the  stranger 
that  is  within  thy  gates. ' ' 

The  Pharisees  complained  that  the  disciples  plucked 
the  ears  of  corn  and  ate  them  on  the  Sabbath  day.  Christ 
said  that  they  had  committed  no  offense,  as  this  was 
necessar}^  to  sustain  life.  Seven  of  His  most  noted 
miracles  of  healing  were  wrought  on  the  Sabbath  day. 

On  the  Sabbath  day  the  Christian  may  go  to  the  slums 
with  the  Gospel,  to  the  hospital  to  smooth  the  pillow  of 
the  suffering,  to  give  the  cup  of  water  to  the  thirsty,  to 
stretch  forth  the  helping  hand,  and  do  other  necessary 
merciful  works.  This  is  to  rest — the  sweetest  possible 
kind  of  rest. 

2.  By  refraining  from  worldly  pleasures. — What  pleas- 


220  A   QUIVER   OF  AJiEOWS 

ures  are  prohibited  ?  All  that  are  contrary  to  the  prin- 
ciples of  Christianity. 

But  specify  !  Well,  such  as  reading  of  the  Sunday 
newspaper  and  light  fiction,  playing  of  golf,  baseball, 
cricket,  indulging  in  wheeling,  games  of  all  kinds,  and 
frivolity.  Do  you  say,  ' '  Oh,  that  is  old  "  ?  So  are  the  sun, 
air,  and  water  old.  "It's  Puritanical. ' '  But  the  Puritans 
laid  the  foundation  of  this  country,  and  we  are  very  proud 
of  it  as  second  to  none  in  the  world.  ' '  But  we  are 
cooped  up  all  the  week,  and  need  the  fresh  air  and  light 
and  recreation."  Yes,  but  that  is  not  the  quest  of  Sab- 
bath-breakers. They  exhaust  their  energies  more  in 
pleasure-seeking  on  the  Sabbath  day  than  by  work  on 
any  other  day.  God  will  not  condemn  a  man  for  seek- 
ing sunlight,  air,  and  recreation  on  the  Sabbath,  except 
when  he  does  it  at  times  of  worship.  The  day  is  spe- 
cially set  apart  for  that  purpose.  Culture  of  the  soul  is  a 
paramount  obligation,  and  may  not  be  set  aside  by  our 
whims  and  fancies,  or  any  notion  contrary  to  the  plain 
precepts  of  the  Word  of  God.  It  is  the  lyord's  day. 
When  we  take  it  as  ours,  we  take  what  does  not  belong 
to  us.  We  should  be  arrested  for  stealing  if  we  take 
from  another  what  belongs  to  him  and  appropriate  it  to 
our  own  use. 

As  a  rule,  thinking  men  mean  to  do  right.  They  love 
home  and  country.  To  preserve  both.  Sabbath-keeping 
is  an  absolute  necessity.  Any  encroachment  upon  its 
sacred  duties,  therefore,  should  be  discouraged. 

Satan  is  the  great  leader  of  Sabbath  desecration.  A 
Scotch  minister  one  day  met  a  parishioner  much  cast 
down.  "How  is  it  wi'  ye  the  day?"  "The  adver- 
sary has  been  at  me  again."  "And  what's  he  been 
saying  to  you,  Janet?"     "He's  been  saying   it's  a'  a 


SUNDA  Y  PLEASURES  221 

delusion,  that  the  Bible's  a  tissue  o'  lees,  that  there  is  no 
heaven,  no  hell,  no  Savior;  it's  a'  a  delusion."  "And 
what  did  you  say  to  him,  Janet?"  "Ah,  minister,  I 
kent  better  than  that.  I  kent  it  was  no  use  to  argy  wi' 
him  ;  I  jist  referred  him  to  the  Lord." 

That's  the  secret.  When  in  doubt  as  to  what  should 
be  or  should  not  be  done  on  the  Lord's  day,  just  refer 
the  matter  to  Him  in  prayer,  and  it  shall  be  told  you 
what  to  do.  "  If  any  of  you  lack  wisdom,  let  him  ask  of 
God,  that  giveth  to  all  men  liberally,  and  upbraideth 
not," 


XLV 
MAKING   HASTE 


He  that  believeth  shall  not  make  haste. 

— Isaiah  xxviii :  i6. 


\M  AKING  haste  is  one  of  the  prevailing  vices  of  our 

*•    ^  f        times.     A  wise  man  was  asked  for  a  panacea 

^S^       for  evil.     His  answer:  "Patience;  all  things 

come  to  those  who  wait. ' ' 

Peter's  answer  would  be,  "Faith,  virtue,  knowledge, 

temperance,  patience,  godliness,  brotherly  kindness,  and 

charity." 

We  are  accustomed  to  think  that  Patience  is  the  scul- 
lery maid  of  the  sister  graces.  Finally  she  will  be  at  the 
palace,  clothed  in  royal  apparel  and  wedded  to  the  king's 
son. 

We  lack  patience  because  we  lack  faith.     God  is  far 
off.     The  world  is  too  near. 
Observe : 

I.  WE  ARE  TOO  EAGER  ABOUT  OUR  TASKS 

Our  children  can  hardly  wait  to  be  through  with  their 
schooling.  The  feeling  grows  and  follows  them  into 
after  life.  I  went  to  Phillips  Academy  for  a  little  polish- 
ing in  preparation  for  college.  Dr.  Taylor  said  :  ' '  My 
boy,  you  need  two  years  of  earnest  study."  Seeing  my 
disappointment,  he  added,  "There's  no  hurry.  Don't 
fret,  the  world  will  wait  for  you."  True.  It  pays  to 
get  ready  and  to  get  ready  well. 

222 


MAKING  HASTE  223 

Christ  was  a  carpenter's  apprentice.  He  made  plows 
and  repaired  furniture.  He  knew  that  the  world  was 
d5ang  for  want  of  His  redemptive  offices.  Men  were 
going  lock-step  down  to  hell.  A  soul  was  passing  into 
eternity  every  second,  and  He  was  aware  of  it ;  yet  He 
went  on  making  plows  and  mending  furniture.  He 
learned  His  lessons  line  by  line,  precept  by  precept,  at  the 
Rabbinical  school,  and  in  fulness  of  time,  when  well  pre- 
pared. He  entered  upon  His  great  work. 

II.   WE   ARE  TOO   MUCH   GIVEN  TO  WORRY 

This  is  an  American  sin.  A  j^oung  man  starts  out  to 
practise  law.  He  tires  waiting  for  clients.  He  casts  his 
eye  over  the  political  arena.  He  enters  for  the  prize. 
He  wins  it — first  a  local  office  and  then  a  seat  in  Con- 
gress. Is  that  success  ?  He  certainly  failed  as  a  lawyer. 
Has  he  succeeded  as  a  Congressman  ?  The  saddest  sight 
at  sea  is  a  floating  hulk,  abandoned  and  useless.  The 
corresponding  sight  is  a  political  hulk,  high  and  dry 
upon  the  shore,  friendless  and  of  no  apparent  use. 

A  young  man  enters  commercial  life.  But  measuring 
cambric  and  weighing  sugar  are  too  slow  for  him.  He 
invests  his  little  all  in  some  scheme  that  promises  imme- 
diate wealth.  Suppose  he  wins.  Is  that  success  ?  At  the 
great  Chicago  fire  a  man  lost  the  accumulations  of  a  life- 
time by  opening  the  vaults  too  soon.  By  waiting  bonds 
and  mortgages  would  have  been  saved.  There  was  a 
puff  of  flame  and  a  heap  of  ashes.     All  was  gone. 

Over-eagerness  is  ruin.  The  best  livelihood  and 
the  most  satisfying  in  the  long  run  is  that  gotten  by 
what  Robert  Burns  calls  ' '  gin-house  prudence  and 
grubbing  industry."  All  things  come  right  to  those  who 
wait. 


224  A    QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

III.   WE   ARE  TOO  EAGER  IN   SPIRITUAL   THINGS 

Sometimes.  But  mark  the  difference  between  deliber- 
ation and  delay.  No  delay,  but  much  deliberation. 
Christ,  pointing  to  an  unfinished  tower,  showed  the  folly 
of  an  undertaking  without  counting  the  cost.  ' '  This 
man  began  to  build  and  was  not  able  to  finish. ' '  The 
Christian  life  is  not  to  be  begun  thoughtlessly  nor  in 
undue  haste,  but  with  deliberation  and  wisdom. 

Yet  a  work  may  be  done  instantly  and  with  delibera- 
tion. The  blacksmith  draws  the  red  iron  from  the  forge, 
lifts  his  hammer  with  utmost  deliberation,  not  in  haste, 
yet  striking  instantly. 

We  sometimes  deceive  ourselves  by  waiting  for  some 
supposed  greater  light  and  stronger  convi(5lion,  when  we 
should  a(5l  at  once  with  the  light  we  possess  at  the  time 
and  the  convicftion  already  upon  us.  Pressing  duty 
should  never  be  put  off. 

Surrender  to  God,  for  instance,  is  a  duty.  We  learned 
that  at  our  mother's  knee.  No  new  fadls  can  enter  into 
that  problem.  Waiting  brings  no  new  developments.  He 
who  lets  this  opportunity  go  by  default  is  making  a  bad 
blunder.  The  frontier  philosopher  said  :  "Be  sure  j-ou 
are  right,  then  go  ahead."  Neither  Paul  nor  Plato 
could  have  marked  out  a  wiser  rule  of  life. 

IV.   WE   HURRY  IN   SPIRITUAL  GROWTH 

We  want  to  run  when  we  are  only  able  to  creep.  Re- 
member that  charadler  is  only  of  slow  growth  :  ' '  First  the 
blade,  then  the  ear,  then  the  full  corn  in  the  ear. ' '  There 
must  be  time  in  grace  as  in  nature  for  rain  and  sunshine. 
The  oak  that  defies  the  storm  and  whirlwind  is  the 
growth  of  a  hundred  j^ears.  The  fungus  under  its 
shadow  came  up  last  night,  but  a  breath  destroys  it.    The 


MAKING   HASTE  225 

sturdy  stuff  of  which  martyrs  and  confessors  are  made  of 
is  of  gradual  development.  The  ' '  unco  guid  ' '  is  simply 
pious  sentiment.  Grandmother,  sitting  in  the  chimney- 
corner  with  her  Bible,  sees  visions  through  her  dim  eyes  ; 
her  heart  is  full  of  peace  ;  sin  and  passion  are  subdued  ; 
no  bondage  of  sin,  no  warring  of  spirit  and  flesh,  no 
doubts  or  misgivings — she  simply  rests  in  God  !  How 
came  she  into  such  a  placid  state?  It  was  a  growth. 
' '  Grow  in  grace  and  in  the  knowledge  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ."  The  pilgrim's  progress  is  a  life's  journey  to 
Beulah  land. 

At  early  morn  the  Alpine  tourist  began  the  ascent  of 
the  Matterhorn.  The  air  was  bracing,  and  he  hastened 
with  springing  steps.  He  passed  a  peasant  going  on 
with  steady  strides,  and  said:  "Slow  fellows,  these,  here- 
abouts. ' '  But  the  path  was  rugged  and  steep.  Ere  noon 
his  steps  lagged,  and  he  sat  down  under  the  shadow  of  a 
crag.  The  peasant  came  along  with  that  steady,  swing- 
ing gait,  and  passed  by  him.  It  is  another  version  of 
the  hare  and  the  tortoise.  True  in  spiritual  as  in  secular 
life.  It  pays  to  plod.  Faith  is  our  alpenstock.  Lean 
hard  upon  it. 

The  believer  can  afford  to  wait.  ' '  All  things  work 
together  for  good  to  them  that  love  God."  Good  times 
will  come.  Bear  trouble  patiently.  ' '  Bide  a  wee  and 
dinna  weary."  "A  little  while."  "Hope  thou  in 
God." 

V.   WE   ARE   RESTLESS  IN    CHRISTIAN  SERVICE 

We  want  to  do  some  great  thing.  But  doing  the  next 
thing  is  the  best  achievement.  If  the  apostles  had  not 
heeded  the  in jundlion  "Tarry  ye  at  Jerusalem  until  ye 
are  endued  with  power, ' '  but  started  out  to  conquer  the 


226  A    QUIVER  OF  ARROWS 

world  for  Christ,  they  would  have  failed  miserably.  But 
waiting,  not  restlessly,  not  indolently,  on  their  knees, 
they  accomplished  mighty  things  for  God.  Moses,  Saul, 
and  others  patiently  waited  in  preparation. 

Then  we  are  impatient  as  to  results.  I  know  a  lad 
who  planted  flowering  peas  beside  his  mother's  door, 
hoping  that  the  vines  would  creep  over  it.  But  in  his 
impatience  he  dug  up  the  roots  to  see  if  they  were  sprout- 
ing. We  are  all  doing  things  as  silly  in  our  larger  tasks. 
It  is  ours  to  plant  the  seed,  it  is  God's  to  see  that  it  ger- 
minates. 

Adoniram  Judson  nearly  broke  his  heart  because  for 
a  long  time  there  was  not  a  single  convert,  tho  year 
after  year  he  prayed  and  wrought  with  a  consuming 
passion.  Where  was  the  fault  ?  His  ?  No.  God  was 
biding  His  time.  When  the  time  did  come  thousands 
cried  out,  "What  shall  we  do?"  The  harvest  will 
ripen,  but  it  may  be  on  our  graves.  The  Patmos  dreamer 
saw  golden  vials  full  of  odors  which  were  the  prayers  of 
saints.     "Not  one  of  them  is  forgotten  before  God." 

Let  us  wait  patiently  for  our  Lord's  coming.  He  will 
come — come  all  the  quicker  when  His  people  learn  the 
lesson  couched  in  the  text,  ' '  He  that  believeth  shall  not 
make  haste. ' ' 


XLVI 
WISDOM 


wisdom  is  the  principal  thing ;    therefore  get 
wisdom. 

—Proverbs  iv :  7. 


Y\  R-  JOHNSON  said:  ' '  A  man  would  scarcely  be  Will- 
ie ing  to  learn  needlework ;  but  if  he  could 
^^  arrive  at  it  without  the  painful  process  of  ac- 
quisition, he  would  e'en  be  glad  to  know  how 
to  mend  his  wife's  ruffle."  All  knowledge  is  worth  hav- 
ing: the  three  R's,  the  arts  and  sciences,  philosophy,  the 
polite  accomplishments,  ever>'thing  in  the  encyclopedia. 
Above  all  is  the  knowledge  of  spiritual  things.  The 
name  of  ' '  Wisdom ' '  is  given  to  this. 

Great  problems  confront  us.    For  example.  Does  death 
end  all?     Can  a  man  be  just  with  God?    What  shall  a 
man  give  in  exchange  for  his  soul  ? 
Observe  as  to  these  : 

I.   WISDOM  IS  ATTAINABLE 

This  is  an  age  of  guesses.  The  most  popular  phase 
of  thought  is  Agnosticism.  It  is  the  Greek  equivalent  of 
the  Latin  ignorance.  In  plain  language,  a  Greek  agnos- 
tic is  a  Latin  ignoramus. 

The  original  agnostic  was  Pyrrho  of  Elis.  He  said, 
"  We  know  nothing,  not  even  that  we  do  know  nothing. " 
His  philosophy  was  an  interrogation  point.  Ignorance 
was  the  pillow  of  the  soul. 

227 


228  A    QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

The  modem  father  of  Agnosticism  was  Comte,  who 
said:  "  We  are  cognizant  of  impressions,  but  we  can  not 
tell  whether  they  correspond  to  anything  real.  Ideas 
may  be  mere  phantasms.  We  can  not  know  whether 
anything  is  behind  them." 

Are  we  shadows,  therefore,  walking  in  a  dream  ? 
Matthew  Arnold,  a  follower  of  Comte,  defines  God  to  be 
a  Force.  But  what  is  an  impersonal  Force  ?  Can  it  help 
in  trouble  ?  What  use  have  we  for  an  armless,  eyeless, 
heartless  spedler  of  a  God  ? 

Herbert  Spencer's  definition  of  life  is:  "Life  is  a 
definite  combination  of  heterogeneous  changes,  both 
simultaneous  and  successive,  in  correspondence  with 
eternal  coexistences  and  sequences. ' ' 

Maudsley  even  questions  the  reality  of  thought.  Mind 
is  phosphorus.  Thought  is  atomic  friction.  An  electric 
force  runs  along  a  pulpy  cord  called  a  nerve  until  it 
reaches  a  pulpy  substance  called  the  brain,  and  the  result 
is  an  idea. 

All  these  men  are  proud  of  their  ignorance,  just  as  the 
old-time  mendicant  friars  were  prouder  of  the  holes  in 
their  garments  than  princes  were  of  their  purple. 

But  spiritual  things  ca7i  be  known.  We  have  a  spiritual 
faculty  which  links  us  to  God. 

The  spe<5troscope  is  so  sensitive  to  certain  chemical 
effedls  that,  being  turned  upon  one  of  the  heavenly  bodies 
millions  of  miles  away,  it  will  detedt  nitrogen  or  sodium 
there.  Spiritual  faculty  is  sensitive  to  spiritual  forces. 
It  is  a  Divine  inheritance.  God  made  us  akin  to  Him- 
self. In  this  we  are  distinguished  from  the  lower  orders 
of  being.  A  fox  calculated  the  width  of  a  brook  before 
leaping,  an  eagle  reasons  with  respedl  to  the  distance 
before  swooping  down  upon  the  prey ;  but  none  of  the 


WISDOM  22P 

lower  orders  can  apprehend  a  moral  truth  or  commune 
with  God. 

We  can  not  comprehend  all  truth  any  more  than  we 
can  take  into  our  lungs  all  the  air,  but  we  can  inhale  a 
breath  at  a  time  quite  suflScient  for  life.  We  may  not 
drink  a  river  at  a  gulp,  but  we  can  quench  our  thirst  out 
of  the  palm  of  the  hand.  We  may  not  have  the  earth, 
but  a  garden  spot  may  be  ours  in  which  we  can  raise 
roses  to  make  life  sweeter  and  better.  A  mouse  lived  in 
a  cheese-box  until  its  provender  was  exhausted,  and  then, 
climbing  up  and  looking  over  the  edge,  was  amazed  that 
the  world  was  so  large.  We  are  living  in  the  world  of 
sense,  but  one  day  we  shall  climb  up  and  wonder  at  what 
is  beyond.     Surprises  are  in  store  for  us. 

II.    IT    IS  OUR    PRIVILEGE  AND    PREROGATIVE 
TO  INFORM   OURSELVES  CONCERNING 
THESE    THINGS 

"  The  mind  of  man  is  this  world's  true  dimension, 
And  knowledge  is  the  measure  of   his  mind. 
And  thus  the  mind,  in  its  vast  comprehension, 
Contains  more  worlds  than  the  world  can  find." 

Old  Kaiser  Wilhelm  of  Germany,  on  a  visit  to  a  rural 
school,  said  to  a  child,  holding  up  a  coin,  "To  what 
kingdom  does  this  belong  ? ' '  She  answered,  ' '  To  the 
mineral  kingdom."  Holding  up  an  orange,  he  said, 
' '  To  what  kingdom  does  this  belong ?  "  "To  the  vege- 
table kingdom."  Then  laying  his  hand  upon  his  breast, 
he  asked,  "To  what  kingdom  do  I  belong?"  "Your 
Majest)'-,  5'ou  belong  to  the  kingdom  of  God." 
There  are  three  steps  in  the  line  of  truth  : 
I.  Credulity. — Here,  however,  dwell  the  superstitious 
— dupes,  fetish  worshipers  :  those  who  nail  a  horseshoe  to 


230  A    QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

the  mast,  tie  an  amulet  about  their  necks,  objedt  to  sit- 
ting at  a  table  with  thirteen,  who  believe  everything  they 
see  in  print,  and  accept  everything  they  hear.  They  are 
like  that  collier  in  Wales  who,  being  asked  what  the 
people  in  the  parish  believed,  answered,  "What  the 
preacher  believes. ' ' 

' '  And  what  does  the  preacher  believe  ?  ' ' 

' '  Why,  sir,  he  believes  what  we  believe. ' ' 

' '  And  what  do  you  and  the  preacher  believe  ?  ' ' 

"Why,  surely,  we  both  believe  the  very  same  thing." 

2.  Doubt. — This  is  one  step  higher.  A  skeptic  is  bet- 
ter than  a  bigot.  Genuine  doubt  is  not  a  bad  thing.  He 
is  like  the  blind  man  whose  eyes  were  partially  opened 
who  ' '  saw  men  as  trees  walking. ' '  But  doubt  is  not  a 
good  thing  to  abide  in.  It  is  a  good  thing  to  move  away 
from.  To  end  in  doubt  is  ruin.  It  is  even  dangerous  to 
pause.  He  who  honestly  doubts  Jesus  Christ  will  not 
sleep  to-night  until  he  has  solved  the  problem.  There 
are  two  kinds  of  doubt  as  there  are  two  twilights — the 
one  grows  darker  and  the  other  lighter. 

3.  Belief. — Faith  is  substance  resting  on  evidence  :  the 
substance  of  spiritual  things  resting  on  evidence  which 
appeals  to  moral  sense.  Paul  was  what  his  faith  made 
him. 

Pope  sang : 

"  For  modes  of  faith  let  graceless  zealots  fight; 
His  faith  can  not  be  wrong  whose  life  is  right." 

A  man  lives  up  to  what  he  believes. 

III.    DUTY    DEMANDS    SOUND    CONVICTIONS    AS    TO 
SPIRITUAL  TRUTH 

We  have  no  right  to  let  spiritual  truth  go  by  default. 
If  there  is  a  God  we  ought  to  know  it.     If  we  have  a 


WISDOM  231 

soul  we  ought  to  know  that.  If  there  is  an  eternity  we 
ought  to  ask,  Whither  bound?  For  these  things  are 
knowable. 

But  how  shall  we  know? 

Not  by  any  scientific  method.  The  old  monks  of  four 
hundred  j^ears  ago  might  have  seen  Jupiter's  moons  had 
they  been  willing  to  look  through  Galileo's  telescope,  but 
they  would  not.  Neither  will  men  know  spiritual  truth 
if  they  refuse  to  look  into  the  Scriptures.  ' '  Spiritual 
things  are  spirituall}^  discerned."  No  man  can  under- 
stand these  things  unless  spiritually  illuminated.  Down, 
therefore,  on  your  knees,  all  you  who  would  get  wisdom. 

At  best,  however,  we  can  but  touch  the  borders. 

"  All  things  I  thought  I  knew  ;  but  now  confess 
The  more  I  know  I  know,  I  know  the  less." 

There  are  great  surprises  for  all  in  quest  of  the  spirit- 
ual. A  blind  boy  in  India  was  much  moved  by  the 
thought  that  one  day  he  would  see.  He  was  fond  of 
repeating,  "  I  know  that  my  Redeemer  liveth,  and  in 
VQ.y  flesh  I  shall  see  God. ' '  In  his  last  moments,  after  a 
long  period  of  unconsciousness,  he  woke  up,  and,  rolling 
his  blind  eyes,  exclaimed  :  ' '  Copane  sees  !  The  dark- 
ness has  cleared  away.  I  see  heaven  and  the  King  in  His 
beauty.     Tell  the  missionary  that  the  blind  boy  sees." 

Revelations  await  us  in  this  narrow  sphere  of  the 
senses.  Now  we  know  in  part,  but  by  and  by,  what? 
Wait  and  see  !  The  day  is  breaking.  The  glory  is  being 
revealed.     ' '  Get  wisdom. ' ' 


XLVII 
PAUL  AT    ATHENS 


Then  Paul  stood  in  the  midst  of  Mars'  hill,  and 
said,  Ye  men  of  Athens,  I  perceive  that  in  all 
things  ye  are  too  superstitious.  For  as  I  passed 
by  and  beheld  your  devotions,  I  found  an  altar 
■with  this  inscription.  To  the  Unknown  God. 
Whom  therefore  ye  ignorantly  worship,  Him  de- 
clare I  unto  you. 

— Acts  xvii .  22, 23. 


JLM  ii,TON  said  that  Athens  was  the  "  eye  of  Greece, 

^    *i        mother  of   arts  and  eloquence."     In   such  a 

^^M       place   a   man   of  ordinary   taste   and    culture 

would  be  filled  with  esthetic  enthusiasm.     Yet 

Paul,  tho  appreciating  all  that  he  saw  in  the  way  of  art 

and  culture,  was  fired  with  a  holier  enthusiasm. 

He  saw  the  Parthenon  beautified  by  the  skill  of 
Phidias  and  Praxiteles.  The  Areopagus  crowded  with 
the  images  of  Mars.  The  famous  schools  of  philosophy 
by  the  Ilissus.  Images  of  gods  and  heroes.  PHny 
says  that  ^here  were  three  thousand  such.  It  was  a 
proverb  :  "  There  are  more  gods  in  Athens  than  men." 
A  winged  figure  adorned  the  front  of  every  home  in 
Hermes  Street.  Along  the  avenue  of  Tripods  votive 
offerings  were  given  to  the  gods  who  helped  the  athletes 
to  win  in  their  games.  Gods  everywhere — gods  on  pedes- 
tals, in  niches,  on  corners  of  streets  ;  gods  and  demigods, 
good  and  bad  and  indifferent.     A  wilderness  of  gods  ! 


PAUL  AT  A THENS  233 

Paul  was  mightily  moved.  He  mounted  a  rostrum  in 
the  public  square  and  began  to  speak.  No  difficulty  in 
getting  an  audience.  Men,  women,  priests,  philosophers — 
all  sorts  and  conditions  of  people  were  there.  He  told 
them  of  Jesus  and  the  resurredtion,  which  to  the  Greeks 
were  a  pair  of  deities.  He  who  introduced  a  new  god 
into  Athens  was  a  public  benefadlor.  Paul  enchained  his 
audience.  It  was  suggested  to  go  to  Areopagus  for  a 
better  hearing.  There  the  apostle  preached  his  famous 
sermon. 

I.   OBSERVE  THE   MAN 

Renan  calls  him  ' '  the  little  ugly  Jew. ' '  He  was  stoop- 
shouldered,  weak-e5^ed,  and  a  stammerer;  but  it  did  not 
take  the  Athenians  long  to  find  out  that  he  was  a  famous 
man,  a  profound  thinker,  and  a  skilful  dialedlician. 

Paul's  power  lay  in  his  convidtions.  He  gave  proof  of 
this  in  the  Rabbinical  school,  and  was  bound  to  be  a 
leader  of  men.  He  was  a  pupil  of  the  famous  Gamaliel. 
He  became  a  member  of  the  Sanhedrin,  the  highest  eccle- 
siastical and  civil  court  in  his  nation.  Great  things  were 
expedted  of  him. 

Then  came  the  great  sunburst.  On  the  Damascus  road 
he  was  converted.  He  cheerfully  surrendered  brightest 
hopes,  ambitions,  and  aspirations.  He  laid  everything 
at  the  feet  of  his  new  Master. 

II.    OBSERVE   THE   PULPIT 

It  was  a  fateful  place.  Many  a  man  had  died  here. 
Here  Demosthenes  displayed  his  burning  eloquence.  Here 
Socrates  apologized  and  drank  the  fatal  hemlock.  Facing 
the  place  stood  the  Temple  of  the  Furies  and  over  it  the 
Temple  of  Mars.     He  stood  on  the  Rock  of  Impudence, 


234  A    QUIVER  OF  ARROWS 

where  criminals  defended  their  Hves.  Paul  defended, 
not  himself,  but  Christ,  his  lyord,  and  brought  a  message 
to  those  cultured  people  that  has  revolutionized  the 
world. 

The  Athenian  gods  have  all  fallen  ;  gone,  all  gone. 
Zeno,  Epicurus,  Plato,  and  the  rest,  representatives  of 
the  philosophies,  are  scarcely  more  than  mere  names. 
But  the  Word  of  God  endureth  forever. 

III.  OBSERVE   THE   AUDIENCE 

Conspicuous  among  the  common  people  might  be  seen 
priests  wearing  the  badges  of  their  gods,  philosophers  and 
students  in  their  classic  robes,  representing  the  various 
schools  by  the  Ilissus. 

1.  Stoics. — These  were  pantheists,  who  spoke  of  God 
as  "the  All,"  "the  Universal  Soul,"  very  much  as 
Christian  Scientists,  so-called,  do  now  under  similar 
terms.  Man  was  simply  an  exhalation  from  the  all- 
pervading  Force  of  the  Universe,  whose  destiny  was 
to  be  absorbed  like  a  drop  of  water  in  the  boundless 
sea. 

2.  Epicureans. — These  were  materialists.  "  Death 
ends  all."  What  better  could  they  do  with  this  belief 
than  to  choose  the  sphorism  and  live  up  to  it :  "  Let  us 
eat,  drink,  and  be  merry,  for  to-morrow  we  die  "  ? 

3.  Academicians. — These  were  agnostics.  They  dream- 
ed of  many  things,  but  knew  nothing.  All  suggestions 
had  a  "  perhaps  "  in  it. 

Aside  from  these  philosophers  there  were  also  the 
curiosity-mongers  and  hangers-on.  All  were  hastening 
on  to  the  judgment-bar.  Probably  this  thought  intensi- 
fied the  preacher's  soul  to  do  his  best.  In  God's  name 
he  proclaimed  the  Gospel  without  fear. 


PAUL  AT  A THENS  235 

IV.   OBSERVE   THE   SERMON 

His  iiitrodu(5lion  was  felicitous.  He  told  what  he  saw. 
He  pleased  them  by  telling  how  religious  the  Athenians 
were.  The  word  rendered  ' '  superstitions  ' '  carries  the 
meaning  of  religion  here  rather  than  idle  fancies  or  fanat- 
icisms. He  would  naturally  gain  the  ear  of  his  question- 
ing audience  and  disarm  antagonism — in  part,  at  least. 

This  paved  the  way  for  subsequent  weighty  thoughts. 
"The  unknown  God"  was  revealed,  and  backed  up  by 
arguments  from  nature  and  a  quotation  from  one  of  their 
own  poets.  Then  he  pressed  home  the  potential  truth 
that  we  are  all  His  offspring.  This  same  God  had  re- 
vealed Himself  in  Jesus  Christ,  who  brought  life  and  im- 
mortality to  light. 

V.  OBSERVE  THE   RESULT 

Paul  did  not  finish  his  sermon.  The  meeting  was 
broken  up.  But  no  truth  uttered  is  in  vain.  "  It  shall 
not  return  unto  me  void,  but  it  shall  accomplish  that 
which  I  please  and  prosper  in  the  thing  whereunto  I 
sent  it. ' ' 

1 .  Some  mocked. — It  was  easy  for  those  grand  philoso- 
phers to  make  sport  of  the  stammering  little  Jew.  It 
was  quite  in  their  line  to  point  the  finger  at  his  grotesque 
dodlrine.  The  resurrection  and  the  judgment  were  pre- 
posterous to  them.  The  generation  of  mockers  are  still 
with  us. 

2.  Some  wotdd  hear  him  again. — But  they  never  did. 
Like  modern  congregations,  they  doubtless  dissedled  the 
preacher.  After  remarking  about  his  appearance  and 
voice  and  manners,  one  might  say,  "But  that  was  a 
clever  opening.  How  he  complimented  our  piety." 
"True,"    said  another,   "I  like  his  fervor.     How  he 


236  A    QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

warmed  to  his  theme  when  he  spoke  of  the  judgment, 
still  he  spoke  differently  somehow  from  our  orators. ' '  A 
third  would  say,  "He  is  a  master  of  logic.  Did  you 
mark  that  syllogism? — '  We  are  God's  offspring,  but  we 
are  living  souls ;  living  souls  can  not  be  born  of  dead 
matter:  ergo,  God  is  not  a  graven  image.'  The  man  is 
a  dialedlician  sure  enough."  A  fourth  might  say,  "Yes, 
he  is  a  master  of  literature,  too.  What  could  have  been 
more  appropriate  than  that  quotation  from  Aratus,  the 
poet  ? ' ' 

They  all  agreed  that  Paul  was  a  man  of  power,  and 
worthy  of  the  audience  and  of  the  place.  They  would 
hear  him  again.  Paul  never  resumed  his  sermon,  never 
set  foot  in  Athens  again.  He  sailed  by  the  port  several 
times.  Perhaps  he  heaved  a  sigh  as  he  passed,  that  these 
cultured  people  rejedted  the  message.  On  it  depended 
their  weal  or  woe. 

Oh,  why  will  men  procrastinate  ?  They  do  not  mean 
to  die.     They  only  put  off. 

A  Russian  legend  tells  of  a  man  who  intended  to  build 
a  house.  The  materials  were  all  ready,  but  he  neglected 
to  put  them  together  until  death  spared  him  the  trouble. 
The  legend  runs : 

"  And  thus  in  silent  waiting  stood 
The  piles  of  stones  and  piles  of  wood, 
Till  Death,  who  in  his  vast  affairs 
Ne'er  puts  off  things  as  men  do  theirs, 
Winked  at  our  hero  as  he  passed  : 
'Your  house  is  finished,  sir,  at  last — 
A  narrow  house,  a  house  of  clay, 
Your  mansion  for  an  endless  day.' " 

3,  Some  believed. — Dionysius  was  one  of  them.  Of  him 
it  is  said  that  he  became  the  Bishop  of  Athens.    Damaris, 


PAUL  AT  ATHENS  237 

a  woman,  was  another.  These  had  an  ear  for  the  Gospel. 
Why  not  pray  for  hearing  ears  as  well  as  for  the 
messenger. 

There  are  some  lower  orders  of  existences  that  can 
hear  only  the  smaller  sounds.  An  earthquake  or  the 
crash  of  thunder  they  never  hear.  So  there  are  people 
who  listen  only  to  those  sounds  that  are  heard  on 
the  lower  levels  of  life — the  call  to  wealth,  to  pleasure,  to 
perishable  honors.  They  can  not  hear  the  still  small 
voice  that  whispers  to  their  conscience,  inviting  them  to 
duty,  to  right  living,  to  life,  and  immortality.  Oh,  for 
the  hearing  ear  and  the  understanding  heart ! 

God  speaks  to  every  one.  He  calls  us  to  the  pardon 
of  sin,  to  usefulness  in  life,  and  to  final  glory  in  heaven. 


XLVIII 
THE  MOTHER  BIRD  AND   HER   YOUNG 

If  a  bird's  nest  chance  to  be  before  thee  in  the 
way  in  any  tree,  or  on  the  ground,  whether  they 
be  young  ones,  or  eggs,  and  the  dam  sitting  upon 
the  young,  or  upon  the  eggs,  thou  shalt  not  take 
the  dam  with  the  young;  but  thou  shalt  in  any 
wise  let  the  dam  go,  and  take  the  young  to  thee; 
that  it  may  be  well  with  thee,  and  that  thou 
mayest  prolong  thy  days. 

—Deuteronomy  xxii :  6,  7. 

^TT^Ihe;  Jewish  lawyer  was  a  do(5lor  of  divinity.     The 

^j_^|      government  was  a  theocracy. 

i^aM  It  was  a  time  of  word-weaving  and  letter- 

worship.  Precepts  were  measured.  There  were 
two  hundred  and  forty-eight  affirmative  and  three  hun- 
dred and  sixty-five  negative  precepts  ;  total,  six  hundred 
and  thirteen.  That  was  the  number  of  letters  in  the 
Decalog ;  also  the  number  of  veins  and  arteries  in  the 
human  body  ;  also  the  Rabbinical  tsitsith  (fringe  of  his 
robe),  the  letters  of  which  being  used  numerically  made  a 
total  of  six  hundred;  to  this  add  eight  for  the  threads  of 
the  braid  and  five  for  the  knots,  and  you  have  six  hun- 
dred and  thirteen — the  full  number  of  the  precepts  of  the 
law. 

Some  precepts  were  light,  others  heavy.  Which  was 
the  greatest  ?  Opinions  difiered.  One  held  that  it  was 
the  Sabbath  law ;  another,  the  injundlion  against  idol- 
atry ;  a  third,  the  breadth  of  the  phyladleries.  A  law- 
yer came  to  Jesus  and  asked  Him  which  was  the  greatest 
commandment,  testing  His  Rabbinical  wisdom.  Christ's 
238 


THE  MOTHER  BIRD   AND   HER    YOUNG        239 

answer  was  disappointing,  but  it  clinched  the  meaning  of 
the  text — "  Love.''  lyOve,  not  simply  for  human  beings, 
but  also  for  the  lower  animals,  the  despoiling  of  the 
bird's  nest. 

Here  we  have  a  lesson  in  : 

I.   ETHICS 

There  is  a  prejudice  against  scrupulosity.  Scruple  is 
from  scrupuliis — a  stone  or  bit  of  gravel  (no  slight  mat- 
ter in  the  eyelid  or  in  the  shoe).  So  with  a  sensitive 
conscience.  Pain  follows  and  is  a  word  of  warning.  Scru- 
ple to  do  right. 

1.  We  speak  of  little  sins. — There  are  none.  How  do 
we  estimate  the  strength  of  a  building  ?  By  taking  the 
average  of  the  beams  and  stone  ?  Rather  the  stone  or 
the  beam  that  has  a  flaw  in  it.  How  do  we  estimate  the 
stanchness  of  a  ship  ?  By  measuring  its  hulk  ?  By  cal- 
culating the  trustworthiness  of  its  clamps  and  rivets? 
Rather  by  finding  its  one  worm-eaten  plank.  How  do 
we  estimate  the  strength  of  a  bridge  ?  By  the  imposing 
appearance  of  its  piers  and  the  bulk  of  its  cables? 
Rather  by  the  weakest  link  of  its  anchorage.  How  do 
we  know  the  strength  of  the  tiger's  cage  ?  By  its  weak- 
est bar;  for  this  lets  the  tiger  out.  Strength  of  charadler 
is  measured  in  the  same  way.  Find  out  the  weak  place 
where  it  yields  to  the  besetting  sin.  "  He  that  ofifendeth 
in  one  point  is  guilty  of  the  whole  law." 

2.  We  speak  of  small  duties. — There  are  none.  Obliga- 
tion has  in  it  the  sandlity  of  Divine  edidt,  the  least  as 
well  as  the  greatest.  Do  this,  or  do  that,  says  the  voice 
within.  Characfter  depends  upon  heeding  it.  In  the 
cathedral  at  Modeua  there  is  a  bucket  which  belonged  to 
the  public  well.     Soldiers,  in  a  frolic,  stole  it.     It  passed 


240  A    QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

from  hand  to  hand,  and  finally  it  came  into  the  possession 
of  the  young  Prince  Henry  of  Sardinia.  A  battle  was 
fought  to  secure  it  and  the  prince  was  made  prisoner. 
His  imperial  father  offered  a  gold  chain  seven  miles  long 
for  his  ransom.  It  was  refused.  The  prince  lay  twenty 
years  in  prison,  pined  away,  and  died.  Meanwhile  a  war 
was  fomented,  in  which  most  of  the  nations  of  Europe 
engaged  and  thousands  of  lives  were  lost.  There  are  no 
trifles  in  human  life.  Their  issue  is  beyond  human  ken. 
' '  How  far  yon  little  candle  throws  its  beams  !  ' ' 

II.   KINDNESS 

Advantage  is  not  to  be  taken  of  the  mother  bird  by 
reason  of  her  solicitude  for  her  brood.  The  species  must 
not  be  extirpated. 

1.  Here  is  a  question  of  rights. — Has  a  dumb  creature 
rights  ?  Jeremy  Bentham  says,  in  reply :  ' '  Can  they 
suffer?"  Anything  that  suffers  has  rights.  Theodore 
Parker,  when  a  lad,  saw  a  turtle  on  a  log,  and,  with  stone 
in  hand,  he  crept  up  and  was  about  to  throw  it,  when  he 
heard  a  voice  within  and  he  could  not  throw  it.  He 
asked  his  mother  about  it.  She  told  him  that  it  was  the 
protest  of  the  do6trine  of  rights — the  voice  of  God. 

2.  Here  is  a  qiiestioyi  of  privilege. — Thoreau,  of  Con- 
cord, went  out  to  dwell  in  the  woods  near  Walden  Pond. 
He  had  neither  gun  nor  rod.  The  animals  found  him 
out.  The  squirrels  came  and  nestled  under  his  vest.  The 
very  fish  seemed  to  know  him.  There  was  an  under- 
standing between  him  and  dumb  creatures,  and  all  the 
world  loves  Thoreau  the  better  for  it. 

Abraham  Lincoln,  going  the  rounds  of  the  circuit 
court  with  a  number  of  fellow  attorneys,  came  upon  a 
mire  in  which  a  wretched  swine  was  struggling  for  its 


THE  MOTHER  BIRD   AND   HER    YOUNG         341 

freedom.  The  sight  provoked  laughter.  lyincoln  was 
silent.  After  awhile  he  said:  "I  don't  know  how  5''ou 
feel  about  it,  gentlemen,  but  I've  got  to  go  back."  He 
did  go  back,  and  went  into  that  mire  and  rescued  that 
animal.  It  was  the  same  kind  of  feeling  that  led  him  to 
liberate  the  Southern  slave — an  a(5t  which  made  him  im- 
mortal. 

3.  Here  is  a  question  of  Christian  principle. — The  good 
Samaritan  practised  it.  A  man's  cat  and  dog  are  better 
off  for  it.  The  ancient  mariner  at  the  door  of  the  festal 
hall  said : 

"  Farewell,  farewell,  but  this  I  tell 
To  thee,  thou  wedding  guest  : 
He  prayeth  well  who  loveth  well 
Both  man  and  bird  and  beast. 

"  He  prayeth  best  who  loveth  best 
All  things,  both  great  and  small ; 
For  the  dear  God  who  loveth  us. 
He  made  and  loveth  all." 

III.   INCREASE  OF  FAITH 

In  this  small  precept  we  have  a  deep  insight  into  the 
mind  of  God. 

He  cares  for  the  tiniest  insedt  as  well  as  for  the  might- 
iest world. 

' '  Are  not  two  sparrows  sold  for  a  farthing  ?  ' '  He 
saw  sparrows,  plucked  and  strung  on  a  willow  twig,  ex- 
posed for  sale  at  the  gates  of  Jerusalem.  Then  came  that 
blessed  word,  "  Shall  he  not  much  more  care  for  you,  O 
ye  of  little  faith  !  "  "  The  very  hairs  of  your  head  are 
all  numbered. ' ' 

Molinaeus  took  refuge  in  an  oven  on  the  night  of  the 
massacre  of  St.  Bartholomew.     A  spider  wove  its  web 


242  A    QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

over  it.  A  gust  of  wind  filled  it  with  dust.  The  dew 
next  morning  glistened  on  it.  His  pursuers  passed  by, 
saying,  ' '  He  is  not  here. ' '  Had  God  nothing  to  do  with 
that? 

1.  There  is  the  burden  of  care. — Jesus  says,  "  Take  no 
anxious  thought."  Rest  in  God.  Wait  on  Him.  He 
will  lead  into  the  light. 

2.  There  is  anxiety  abotit  the  future. — "  Be  not  afraid," 
says  Jesus.  Why  should  we  fear  ?  He  who  taught  us 
to  remember  the  mother  bird  and  her  fledgling  young 
will  be  mindful  of  us.  There  are  giants  in  the  way,  and 
tho  we  can  not  cope  with  them,  He  will  be  with  us  to 
diredl  the  pebble  and  the  vicftory  will  be  ours. 

' '  Lord,  I  believe  ;  help  thou  mine  unbelief. ' ' 


DOCTRINAL    SERMONS 


XLIX 
LET   US   GO   ON 

Therefore,  leaving  the  principles  of  the  dodtrine 
of  Christ,  let  us  go  on  unto  perfedlion. 

—Hebrews  vi:  i. 


^  HRisTiANiTY  is  a  life.  As  a  do(5lrinal  and  ethical 
^^  .  system  it  expresses  itself  in  walk  and  conversa- 
goi^        tion — a  creed  going  about  doing  good. 

All  organic  things  are  under  the  same  law. 
A  stone  differs  from  a  plant.  A  stone  receives  accretions 
from  without,  a  plant  is  developed  from  the  principle 
within.  A  man  differs  from  a  mummy.  The  mummy  of 
old  Rameses  looks  at  you  through  the  glass  doors  of  the 
Boulak  Museum  as  it  looked  at  the  wailing  mourners  who 
carried  it  past  the  pyramids  to  its  burial  four  thousand 
years  ago.  The  spiritual  man  is  thrilled  with  a  Divine 
vital  principle  as  if  touched  with  an  eledtric  spark.  The 
necessity  of  unceasing  growth  is  upon  him. 

So  say  the  Scriptures.  Life  is  structural.  The  chief 
thing  is  edification — temple  building — the  soul  rising  into 
a  glorious  fabric,  fit  for  the  indwelling  of  the  Holy 
Spirit. 

Christ's  teachings  pervade  it.  He  likened  it  to  leaven, 
the  mustard  seed.  So  Paul's  echo  of  the  same  thought: 
"  Your  i^S.'Oki groweth  exceedingly." 

Paul  here  writes  to  the  diaspora,  the  Jews  scattered 
abroad.  Thej'  had  been  bound  by  the  ceremonial  law 
and  blinded  by  prejudice  against  spirituality.      Christ 

245 


246  A    QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

gave  new  life.  Chains  were  broken.  Eyes  were  opened. 
Songs  of  salvation  thrilled  on  the  lips  :  "  Let  us  go  on." 
By  ' '  leaving  the  principles  ' '  Paul  did  not  mean  that 
the  Jews  were  to  forsake  or  forget  them,  but  to  leave 
them  as  the  plant  leaves  the  root,  as  the  brook  leaves  the 
mountain  spring. 

What  are  these  principles  ? 

I.   SALVATION 

The  foundation  of  repentance  and  faith  were  laid. 
They  were  not  to  be  laid  over  again.  From  that  go  on 
building. 

Assurance.  There  is  no  such  thing  without  the  faith 
which  saves.  Then  why  worry  and  fret  about  it  ?  "  Go 
on."  Trust  as  you  "go  on."  Trust  instantly,  con- 
stantly. Do  not  keep  pumping  out  the  hold.  Simply 
stop  the  leak  and  sail  on. 

Salvation  is  more  than  mere  deliverance  from  death. 
It  is  a  great  word.  It  means  entire  conformity  to  God — 
that  is,  all  the  graces  of  charadter  are  involved.  Work 
it  out. 

Work  it  out — 

1 .  With  fear  and  trembling. 

2.  To  its  utmost  results. 

3.  To  its  splendid  fulfilment. 

4.  To  its  glorious  constimmation. 

Old  fathers  of  art  did  their  best  working  on  the  statues 
of  their  gods.  One  might  carve  a  laughing  child  or  a 
sporting  satyr,  but  his  masterpiece  must  be  Olympian — 
a  Jupiter  Tonans,  or  a  Venus  rising  from  the  sea. 

We  get  our  model  from  the  Son  of  God.  Our  best  is 
not  from  human  models,  how^ever  grand,  for  they  are  im- 
perfect.    Christ  alone  can  claim  the  quality  of  perfedlion. 


LET   US  GO  ON  247 

II.   BELIEF 

Rudimental  and  essential  questions  on  the  threshold  of 
the  Christian  life,  such  as  the  existence  of  God,  the 
divinity  of  Christ,  the  trustworthiness  of  the  Scriptures, 
should  be  settled. 

In  war  times  if  a  man  breathed  a  word  against  the 
Constitution  of  the  United  States  he  was  in  danger  of 
Fort  Lafayette.  He  was  pointed  at  on  the  street.  He 
was  shunned  in  society.  He  was  counted  as  disloyal. 
Such  were  met  with  in  Biblical  times  in  the  realms  of 
spiritual  religion,  but  they  were  "ever  learning  and 
never  able  to  come  to  the  knowledge  of  the  truth." 

Stop  threshing  out  old  straw.  There  are  plenty  of  yel- 
low sheaves  to  thresh  to  some  profit. 

Church  troubles  and  individual  troubles  are  largely  due 
to  tedious  discussion  of  long-settled  truths.  There  is 
scarcely  a  denomination  which  is  not  fretted  by  logoma- 
chies as  to  baptism,  the  laying  on  of  hands,  the  problems 
of  eschatolagy,  or  the  inspiration  of  the  Word.  If  young 
people  were  to  pursue  their  education  on  these  lines  they 
would  never  get  beyond  '  *  b-a  ba,  k-e-r  ker,  baker. ' ' 

Alfred  Tennyson,  as  a  lad  in  bib  and  tucker,  played 
with  A.  B.  C.  blocks,  built  bridges  and  cathedrals  with 
them;  but  as  time  passed  he  was  busy  with  larger  tasks. 
He  passed  on  to  pradlical  applications.  His  A.  B.  C. 
grew  into  "  Idylls  of  the  King"  and  "  In  Memoriam." 
It  would  have  been  strange  if,  d5dng  there  in  the  moon- 
light, he  had  still  been  fumbling  with  his  building-blocks. 
But  no  ;  he  died  with  great  thoughts  in  his  brain  and  the 
open  page  of  ' '  Cymbeline ' '  before  him.  Paul  said, 
"  When  I  was  a  child  I  spake  as  a  child,  I  understood  as 
a  child,  I  thought  as  a  child;  but  when  I  became  a  man 
I  put  away  childish  things." 


248  A    QUIVER  OF  ARROWS 

On  the  Pillars  of  Hercules  was  written  this  legend  : 
' '  Ne  Plus  Ultra  !  ' '  Rather  let  us  say  ' '  Fhis  Ultra  ' '  for 
ever  and  ever.  There  is  always  more  beyond.  The  be- 
yond is  illimitable.  Cruise  round  the  fringes  of  the 
Mediterranean  if  you  will,  but  do  not  fear  to  turn  your 
prows  toward  the  Pillars  of  Hercules  and  sail  out  toward 
the  west. 

III.   DUTY 

There  are  three  rules  which  must  be  settled  at  the  be- 
ginning of  the  Christian  life  : 

1 .  Do  nothing-  knowingly  to  offend  God. 

2.  Do  nothing  to  offend  thyself. 

3.  Do  nothing  to  make  others  stumble. 

A  jeweler  can  tell  at  a  glance  the  difference  between 
gold  and  pinchbeck.  So  the  Christian  should  see  2^ 
the  right  thing  were  he  not  in  the  habit .  of  trifling  with 
conscience.  Small  questionings  should  have  but  little  if 
any  place  in  our  larger  life.  The  growing  boy  outgrows 
his  clothes.  The  best  proof  of  growth  is  when  a  man 
gets  beyond  small  scruples  and  meets  his  responsibilities. 

Duty  is  a  great  matter.  It  is  the  sum  total  of  Chris- 
tian service.     Duty  is  ethical  purpose  in  perfedtion. 

When  Paul  became  a  Christian  he  did  not  ask  if  he 
might  visit  the  exhibitions  of  the  stadium  as  he  had  been 
accustomed  to  do,  or  mingle  in  the  Isthmian  games,  or 
continue  to  be  a  Jewish  zealot,  haling  Christians  to 
judgment  and  death.  These  things  had  been  disposed  of. 
A  sunburst  of  the  new  life  opened  upon  him.  He  had 
no  desire  for  the  former  life.  The  new  was  better. 
"  Lord,  what  wilt  thoii  have  me  to  do?  " 

Ethical  questions  in  the  small  affairs  of  life  are  as  fruit- 
less as  the  task  of  the  Danaides,  who  were  doomed  to  draw 
water  from  a  deep  well  and  fill  an  immense  sieve  with  it. 


LET   US  GO   ON  249 

Minimum  piety  !  What  is  there  to  show  for  it  ?  What 
of  the  larger  tasks?  What  of  the  great,  dark,  dying 
world  which  needs  your  energies  ? 

Now  a  word  of  counsel : 

1.  Begiii. — No  life  without  the  first  principles.  The 
difference  between  a  Christian  and  a  non-Christian  is 
that  one  man  is  on  his  way  to  Jerusalem  and  another  man 
only  hopes  to  go  to  Jerusalem. 

2.  Make  the  most  of  yourself. — You  have  but  one  life, 
use  its  possibilities  to  the  utmost.  The  Hebrews  might 
have  gone  straight  from  Egypt  to  Canaan,  but  their  sins 
and  complainings  hindered  them;  so  to  discipline  them 
they  were  sent  round  about  in  the  wilderness  for  forty 
years.  Don't  dance  round  the  golden  calves.  Don't  lust 
after  the  quails.  Don't  long  for  Egypt  and  its  flesh- 
pots.  Don't  !  Don't  !  !  Don't  !  !  !  The  palm-trees  are 
waving  just  beyond  on  the  farther  shore.  Possess  the 
good  land.     "  Go  on." 

3.  Be  not  discouraged. — Rome  was  not  built  in  a  day. 
Character  is  of  slow  growth.  Digging  up  the  bulb  of  a 
plant  does  not  hasten  the  blooming  of  the  lily.  Day 
does  not  break  instantly.  The  stars  vanish  only  one  by 
one.  Clouds  change  from  black  to  gray,  from  gray  to 
amber,  from  amber  to  crimson,  from  crimson  to  gold;  the 
woodman's  ax  rings  from  the  forest  hills ;  smoke  rises 
from  the  chimney;  the  dew  sparkles  on  the  grass  ;  the 
birds  sing  ;  sounds  of  busy  life  come  from  afar — at  last 
the  world  is  awake.  So  the  progress  in  the  Christian 
life. 

"IvET  US  GO  ON." 


THE  RESURRECTION   HERE   AND  NOW 


Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you.  The  hour  is 
coming,  and  now  is,  when  the  dead  shal  hear 
the  voice  of  the  Son  of  God  :  and  they  that  hear 
shall  live. 

— John  v  :  25. 


KSUS  was  addressing  the  Pharisees.  He  took  them 
on  their  own  ground,  for  they  believed  in  the 
resurrecftion. 

The  Pharisees  were  at  odds  with  the  Saddu- 
cees  on  this  dodtrine. 

Job  beHeved  it :  "I  know  that  my  Redeemer  liveth, 
and  in  my  flesh  I  shall  see  God."      ^ 

David  sung  it :  "  God  will  redeem  my  soul  from  the 
power  of  the  grave. ' ' 

Ezekiel  had  a  foregleam  of  it:  "Son  of  Man,  can 
these  dry  bones  live  ?  "  In  the  vision  the  dry  bones  did 
live  and  stood  up  as  living  men. 

But  in  the  text  there  is  something  different:  "The 
hour  Cometh,  and  now  is."  It  is  something  that  is  taking 
place  now — a  spiritual  resurredlion.  Christ  uttered  the 
same  truth  to  Martha  when  he  said,  "  I  am  the  resurrec- 
tion and  the  life. ' ' 

I.   SIN  IS   DEATH 

Death  is  spoken  of  as  bondage.  The  sinner  is  an  exile 
in  a  far  country  from  home,  happiness,  and  kindred, 
wasting  his  substance. 

250 


THE  RESURRECTION  HERE  AND   NOW         251 

It  is  a  debt.  Bankruptcy.  In  the  debtor's  jail  now. 
All  are  under  sin — that  is,  imprisoned. 

It  is  defilement.  Filth.  Foul  disease  that  robs  of  self- 
respedt,  unpresentable  before  God.  ' '  From  the  sole  of 
the  foot  even  unto  the  head  there  is  no  soundness  in  it ; 
but  wounds,  and  bruises,  and  putrifying  sores." 

It  is  spiritual  death.  There  is  a  semblance  of  life,  but 
all  the  faculties  and  powers  of  the  higher  nature  have 
lost  their  vigor. 

An  ice-floe  drifted  from  the  delta  of  the  River  lycna,  on 
the  northern  coast  of  Siberia,  clear  across  into  Davis 
Strait.  On  this  ice-floe  was  the  body  of  one  of  the  crew 
of  the  ill-fated  Jeannette.  If  this  man  had  come  by  the 
shortest  route  he  had  made  a  journey  of  three  thousand 
five  hundred  miles  ;  if  by  the  longest,  nearly  seven  thou- 
sand. A  long  journey  for  a  dead  man  !  Yet  there  are 
people  all  about  us  who  are  on  their  journey  to  eternity 
and  are  spiritually  dead.  They  toil  in  our  workshops 
and  ofl&ces;  they  eat,  drink,  marry,  and  are  given  in  mar- 
riage. They  accumulate  wealth,  sit  in  places  of  author- 
ity, and  the  fear  is  that  the  end  will  be  eternal  death. 

II.   SALVATION  IS  A  RENEWAL   OF   LIFE 

"  I  come,"  said  Jesus,  "  that  you  might  have  life,  and 
have  it  more  abundantly."  He  is  the  soul  quickener. 
Lazarus  found  Him  such  as  to  his  dead  body.  He  found 
Him  such  as  to  his  dead  soul  also. 

I.  The  eyes  of  the  soul  are  opened  at  Christ" s  touch. — A 
wealthy  blind  man  in  New  York  cried,  "  A  million  dol- 
lars to  any  one  who  will  give  me  sight  !  ' ' 

A  child  blind  from  her  birth  was  healed  by  a  surgical 
operation.  She  was  taken  out  upon  the  piazza  of  her 
summer  home,  and  when  the  bandage  was  taken  from 


352  A    QUIVER    OF  ARROWS 

her  eyes  she  looked  out  upon  the  meadows  and  hillsides, 
and  the  skies  above,  then  said,  "Oh,  mother  !  is  this 
heaven  ?  "  A  moral  beauty,  like  a  revelation,  has  come 
to  many  a  soul  at  the  magic  touch  of  the  Divine  hand, 
lyife  and  immortality  have  come  into  view.  "  Spiritual 
things  are  spiritually  discerned. "  * '  Receive  thy  sight, ' ' 
and  heaven  burst  on  the  opened  eyes  of  the  blind  man. 
He  says,  ' '  Whereas  I  was  blind  now  I  see. ' ' 

2.  Ears  as  well  as  eyes  are  opened  at  the  touch  of  Jesus. — 
The  range  of  hearing  is  in  seven  odlaves.  If  a  sound 
does  not  make  more  than  forty  nor  less  than  four  thousand 
vibrations  to  the  second  we  can  not  hear  it.  I  know  a 
man  who  has  never  heard  the  song  of  a  bird.  He  is 
skeptical  as  to  the  sweet  descant  of  the  nightingale's 
voice.  To  him  music  is  like  the  music  of  the  spheres 
— a  mere  fable.  Much  of  life's  pleasures  are  denied  him. 
Spiritual  deafness  of  the  spiritually  dead  is  absolute. 

The  apostle  says  there  are  many  voices  in  the  world 
and  none  of  them  is  without  its  significance.  God 
speaks,  angels  sing,  the  multitudes  declare  the  Divine 
goodness,  but  all  this  is  outside  the  aural  range  of  those 
dead  in  trespasses  and  in  sins.  But  at  the  voice  that 
utters  the  word  ''  Ephphatha"  ears  are  unstopped,  and 
life  comes  in  with  all  its  heavenly  sweetness. 

3.  Spiritual  appetite  is  quickened  at  the  touch  of  Jesus. — 
"  I  haven't  been  hungry  for  two  years,"  said  a  man  re- 
cently. People  of  this  sort  are  taking  tonics  all  the  time 
to  stimulate  appetite.  Much  of  the  zest  of  living  is  lost 
to  them.  The  same  thing  is  true  as  to  spiritual  matters. 
The  Bible  to  such  has  no  attradlions.  They  hear  no 
melody  in  hymns  that  stir  others  to  the  very  center  of 
their  being. 

Desire  has  failed.     Who  shall  quicken  it  ?     David,  when 


THE  RESURRECTION  HERE  AND   NOW        253 

hunted  like  a  partridge  upon  the  mountains,  saw  a 
wounded  deer  bounding  through  the  forest  with  an  arrow 
quivering  in  its  flank,  eyes  hot  with  fever,  and  hastening 
to  the  fountain.  He  cried  :  "As  the  hart  panteth  after 
the  water  brooks,  so  panteth  my  soul  after  thee,  O  God  !  " 
"  My  soul  thirsteth  for  God,  for  the  living  God."  Alas, 
for  those  who  have  no  thirst  for  the  living  waters  !  Jesus 
can  change  the  desire,  and  He  only. 

4.  Jesus  verifies  the  conscience . — Conscience  was  intended 
to  guide  us  aright.  Sin  has  spoiled  it.  The  needle  in 
the  compass  is  rusted.  The  moral  sense  has  been  struck 
with  death.  Under  certain  circumstances  it  wakes  up  in 
terror.  Emperor  Constance,  with  an  untrembling  hand, 
put  his  brother  Theodosius  to  death,  but  in  his  exile  the 
spedler  followed  him  everywhere,  holding  a  cup  of  red, 
warm  blood,  saying  :  "  Drink,  brother,  drink  !  "  What 
a  touch  of  remorse  !  Happy  the  man,  however,  whose 
conscience  springs  to  life  at  the  touch  of  Jesus.  It  then 
becomes  a  finger-board  pointing  to  heaven's  gate. 

5.  Jesus  energizes  the  will. — The  will  is  the  center  of 
moral  nature.  But  sin  paralyzes  it.  ' '  The  good  that  I 
would,  I  do  not  ;  and  the  evil  I  would  not,  that  I  do. ' ' 

When  the  prodigal  in  the  far-off  country,  ragged  and 
famishing,  first  showed  signs  of  returning  to  his  father's 
house,  he  said  :  "I  will  arise  and  go."  That  was  the 
beginning  of  life.  He  then  began  life's  struggle,  the 
beating  down  of  old  sins  and  passions  and  appetites. 

An  old-time  Quaker  had  a  strange  experience  at  his 
conversion.  When  laid  out  for  burial  an  angel,  bending 
over  him,  said,  softly  :  "  The  man  is  dead."  Another  laid 
his  hand  over  his  heart,  and  said  :  "  It  does  not  throb  ; 
he's  dead."  Another  touched  his  flesh,  and  said  :  "  Itis 
cold  ;  he  is  surely  dead."     So  one   by   one   the  angels 


254  A    QUIVER  OF  ARROWS 

came,  till  one  kindlier  than  the  rest  looked  upon  him, 
lifted  his  hand,  and  ejaculated  :  "Nay,  what  is  this ?  A 
nail-print  in  his  palm  ;  a  nail-print  in  his  other  palm. 
This  man  is  not  dead  ;  he  has  been  crucified  ;  crucified 
with  Christ,  and  lives  with  Him."  The  Quaker  awoke, 
and  found  the  passage  :  "  I  am  crucified  with  Christ, 
nevertheless  I  live  ;  yet  not  I,  Christ  liveth  in  me." 

We  live  spiritually,  and  that  is  the  true  resurredlion 
here  and  now. 


LI 


ASSURANCE 


Give  diligence  to  make  your  calling  and  election 
sure. 

— n.  Peter  i :  lo. 


I  TT^  LKCTiON  is  one  of  God's  state  secrets.  One  of  the 
I  '^  I  ancient  stoics  used  to  go  about  holding  some- 
g^^^  thing  in  his  left  hand  covered  with  a  napkin. 
Paul  Pry  wanted  to  know  what  it  was.  The 
stoic's  reply  was  :  "  Hence  the  napkin."  That  was  all. 
So  God  does  not  tell. 

Eledlion  is  a  fadt,  tho.  That  is  enough  to  the  believer. 
"  Whom  he  did  foreknow,  he  also  did  predestinate  to 
be  conformed  to  the  image  of  his  Son.  Whom  he  did 
predestinate,  them  he  also  called.  Whom  he  called, 
them  he  also  justified.  Whom  he  justified,  them  he 
also  glorified. ' ' 

Personal  assurance  proves  the  fadl.  All  believers  do 
not  have  this  assurance  always.  All  believers  have  it 
sometimes.     None  may  be  without  it. 

How  is  it  to  be  had  ? 

I.  BY  THE  WITNESS  OF  THE  SPIRIT 

' '  The  spirit  itself  beareth  witness  with  our  spirit  that 
we  are  the  children  of  God." 

A  witness  testifies  to  fa£ls.     He  must  not  guess,  nor 

255 


256  A    QUIVER  OF  ARROWS 

speculate,  nor  give  an  opinion.  The  Holy  Spirit  has 
looked  into  the  Book  of  Life.  He  has  seen  the  believer's 
name  there  and  He  tells  him  of  it. 

Jesus  told  the  paralytic  that  his  sins  were  forgiven. 
He  said  the  same  thing  to  a  penitent  woman.  He  told 
the  thief  on  the  cross  that  he  would  be  with  Him  that 
day  in  Paradise.  If  this  is  not  so,  Jesus  did  not  speak 
the  truth.  We  can  not  conceive  of  Jesus  being  other 
than  a  truth-teller.  When  He  went  away  the  Holy  Spirit 
came  in  His  place  as  a  witness  of  what  Jesus  said,  and  to 
carry  out  the  promises  of  Jesus.  Be  sure  that  it  is  the 
Spirit  that  speaks.  There  are  other  voices  that  speak. 
James  tells  us  to  try  the  spirits  whether  they  are  of  God. 
The  inner  voice  of  mere  emotion  is  not  the  voice  of  the 
Spirit.  The  Spirit's  witness  produces  emotion,  but  emo- 
tion is  not  the  Spirit.  The  Spirit  is  an  intelligence,  an 
Infinite  Intelligence.  And  this  Infinite  Intelligence  is 
God  Himself.  When  He  says,  "Thy  sins  are  forgiven," 
it  is  so.  There  can  be  no  appeal  from  Him.  He  is  ulti- 
mate authority. 

When  John  Wesley  was  preaching  in  Georgia,  Spang- 
ler,  a  Moravian  pastor,  asked  him  if  he  had  the  witness 
of  the  Spirit.  Wesley  was  surprised  and  nonplussed. 
He  said,  "  Do  you  know  that  Jesus  is  your  Savior?  " 

' '  Aye,  I  know  that  He  is  the  Savior  of  the  world,  that 
he  tasted  death  for  every  man." 

' '  But  do  3^ou  know  that  Jesus  is  your  Savior  ?  ' ' 

"  I  hope  so." 

' '  But  do  you  hiow  so  ?  " 

Weslej^  was  troubled.  He  prayed.  He  put  away  all 
that  stood  between  him  and  God  ;  then  he  wrote  : 

"  The  Spirit  answers  to  the  blood, 
And  tells  me  I  am  born  of  God." 


f 


ASSURANCE  257 

Is  there  any  other  testimony  ?    Yes, 

II.   THE   WITNESS   OF  THE  WORD 

The  Scriptures  are  the  last  court  of  appeal  in  matters 
of  faith  and  of  the  genuineness  of  Christian  experience. 
Mere  sentiment  is  of  no  value.  Tears  and  hosannas  are 
not  evidence. 

A  child  walks  on  a  twelve-inch  plank  laid  across  the 
street  withou-t  fear  of  falling  off.  If  laid  across  from  the 
top  of  two  high  buildings,  not  many  of  us  could  walk 
over  it  without  losing  our  balance.  There  is  nothing 
beneath  it,  and  away  goes  our  confidence. 

Christian  hope  must  rest  on  something.     I,isten  : 

"  He  that  believeth  on  the  Son  hath  everlasting 
Ufe." 

"Except  a  man  be  born  again  he  can  not  see  the 
Kingdom  of  God." 

' '  Ye  are  my  friends  if  ye  do  whatsoever  I  command 
you." 

' '  We  know  that  we  have  passed  from  death  unto  life 
because  we  love  the  brethren." 

' '  If  any  man  will  come  after  me  let  him  deny  himself 
and  take  up  his  cross  and  follow  me. ' ' 

"  Go,  sell  all  that  thou  hast,  and  come  and  follow  me." 

"  Whosoever  is  born  of  God  doth  not  commit  sin." 

' '  As  many  as  are  led  by  the  Spirit  of  God  they  are  the 
sons  of  God." 

There  are  multitudes  of  other  passages  similar  to  these. 
The  Christian,  born  of  God,  is  of  noble  blood.  The 
reason  why  Tichbome  failed  to  get  possession  of  the 
great  estate  was  because  the  whole  demeanor  of  the  man 
showed  that  he  was  not  of  noble  blood. 

The  Crusaders  wore  the  red  cross  on  their  arms,  but 


258  A    QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

the  true  believer  wears  it  in  his  heart  and  bears  it  on  his 
shoulders. 

A  child  knows  whether  he  loves  his  mother.  If  I  sus- 
pedt  the  validity  of  a  piece  of  my  property  I  do  not  fret 
and  worry  about  it,  but  go  straight  to  the  abstract  office 
and  find  out.  The  Book  is  our  abstradt  of  title  to  heav- 
enly mansions.     Its  judgment  is  final. 

There  is  still  another  witness  : 

III.   THE   WITNESS  OF   FAITH 

"  Thou  wilt  keep  him  in  perfe(5t  peace,  whose  mind  is 
stayed  on  thee  ;  because  he  trusteth  in  thee." 

Self-examination  is  profitable,  but  too  much  of  it  makes 
us  restless  and  unbelieving.  L,ook  out,  not  in.  Up,  not 
down.     The  secret  of  a  happy  life  is  to  trust  God. 

Faith  shows  itself  in  two  ways  : 

I.  In  woj'k. — We  are  invited  into  the  vineyard.  To 
look  about  simply  and  admire  it  ?  To  sit  under  a  shade- 
tree  and  talk  about  its  owner — his  wisdom  and  generosity  ? 
To  eat  the  fruit  and  pluck  a  few  flowers  to  wear  in  the 
buttonhole  of  one's  coat?  Oh,  no  !  Work  is  the  word. 
Lazy  fellows  and  dudes  are  not  needed  there. 

Paul  was  a  worker.  And  he  is  the  Apostle  of  Assur- 
ance. After  years  of  toil,  he  said  :  "I  know  whom  I 
have  believed,  and  that  he  is  able  to  keep  that  which  I 
have  committed  to  him."  He  is  an  old  and  feeble  man  ; 
but  what  tranquillity  on  the  brink  of  death  !  He  was 
awaiting  the  footfall  of  the  executioner.  His  faith  was 
like  an  oak,  rooted  more  deeply  by  the  tempest  that 
swept  over  it.  He  looked  back  to  the  time  when  he 
encountered  Jesus  on  the  Damascus  road,  and  then  and 
there  began  the  new  life — a  life  of  hard  and  constant  toil. 

Faith  also  shows  itself  : 


ASSURANCE  259 

2.  In  Rest. — If  we  apprehend  Christ  we  shall  trust 
Him.     Why,  then,  fret  ?     Why  worry  ?     Why  struggle  ? 

I  have  a  friend  who  made  a  vain  effort  to  save  a 
drowning  woman.  He  struck  out  beyond  the  white  crest 
of  the  surf  and  reached  her.  She  frantically  threw  her 
arms  about  his  neck.  He  tore  them  off.  She  clutched 
his  hair.  He  broke  loose.  "I  could  have  saved  her," 
said  he,  "  but  she  struggled  so."  No  soul  was  ever  lost 
who  calmly  trusted  God.     We  are  in  His  hands. 

The  Christian  who  fled  from  the  City  of  Destrudlion 
quietly  rested  in  the  Chamber  of  Peace.  He  awoke  in 
the  morning  and  looked  out  upon  the  Deledlable  Moun- 
tains, and  then  sang : 

"  Where  am  I  now?     Is  this  the  love  and  care 
Of  Jesus  for  the  men  who  pilgrims  are — 
Thus  to  provide  that  I  should  be  forgiven, 
And  dwell  already  the  next  door  to  heaven?" 

Jesus  said  :  ' '  Peace  I  leave  with  you.  My  peace  I 
give  unto  you.  Let  not  your  heart  be  troubled,  neither 
let  it  be  afraid. ' ' 


LII 
ORTHODOXY 


But  speak  thou  the  things  which  become  sound 
dodlrine. 

—Titus  ii :  i. 


^1^   o  MAN  has  a  right  to  force  a  creed  upon  another, 
±Jl^       neither  may  he  receive  it  at  second  hand. 
S^^l  ' '  Prove  all  things  ;  hold  fast  that  which  is 

good, ' '     Respedl  the  Church  and  Council,  but 
think  for  yourself.      "  Let  no  man  take  thy  crown." 

Orthodox}'-  is  not  a  slavish  subscription  to  creeds. 
Tradition  counts,  of  course.  A  farmer  would  be  a  fool  if 
he  ignored  new  labor-saving  inventions  and  stuck  to  the 
crooked  stick  as  a  plow,  threshed  his  grain  with  a  flail 
and  ground  it  with  a  pestle  and  mortar.  He  might  be 
independent,  but  he  would  not  be  bright. 

A  dwarf  can  see  farther  than  a  giant  if  he  stands  on 
the  giant's  shoulders,  but  he  must  see  through  his  own 
eyes,  not  the  giant's.  Climb  up  on  the  shoulders  of  the 
past,  but,  when  there,  look  for  yourself. 

Orthodoxy  is  not  Boeotian  credulity.  Callow  folk 
assume  that  all  clever  people  are  heretics,  and  that  heresy 
is  necessary  to  progress,  as  if  locomotives  could  not  go 
except  down-grade  with  open  brakes. 

It  is  not  the  wild  rovers  of  the  sea  that  find  El  Dora- 
dos, but  such  as  sail  by  chart  and  compass. 

Orthodoxy   is   associated    with   noble  history.      Men 

have  loved  truth  better  than  life.     It  was  so  with  Abel, 

who  followed  his  convi(5lions  and  was  slain  for  them  ; 

with  Abram,  who  left  home  and  country  ;  with  the  three 

260 


ORTHODOXY  261 

Babylonian  youths,  who  were  not  afraid  of  the  seven- 
fold heated  furnace  ;  with  the  reformers  of  all  the  ages. 
Jesus  faced  the  cross  for  the  same  reason. 

But  can  orthodoxy  be  definitely  defined  ?  A  case  came 
before  the  courts  in  Baltimore  awhile  ago.  The  bulk  of 
an  estate  was  left  for  the  eredtion  of  an  edifice  for  ' '  the 
worship  of  Jesus  Christ  according  to  the  orthodox  Bap- 
tist faith."  The  judge  said  that  the  court  could  not 
determine  what  orthodoxy  is  in  the  absence  of  a  State 
Church.  Legally  it  could  not  be  defined,  but  that  is  no 
reason  to  suppose  that  it  has  no  definite  ecclesiastical 
definition. 

True,  the  word  does  not  appear  in  the  Scriptures  ;  nor 
does  the  word  "  Creed  "  or  "  Incarnation  "  for  that  mat- 
ter. But  Paul  says  to  Titus  :  ' '  Speak  thou  the  things 
that  become  sound  do(5lrine. "  "  Sound  dodlrine  ' '  is 
summed  up  in  orthe  doxa. 

Historically,  it  means  loyalty  to  the  creed  of  a  particu- 
lar body.  An  orthodox  Mohammedan  is  one  who  believes 
in  one  God  and  Mohammed  His  prophet.  An  orthodox 
Unitarian  is  one  who  does  not  believe  in  the  divinity  of 
Jesus  Christ.  An  orthodox  Episcopalian  is  one  who 
believes  in  the  Thirty-nine  Articles.  An  orthodox 
Reformed  or  Presbyterian  is  one  who  believes  in  the 
Calvinistic  theses,  such  as  the  Canons  of  Dort  and  the 
Westminster  Confession  of  Faith. 

An  orthodox  Christian  is  one  who  believes  in  the 
truths  held  in  common  by  the  universal  Church. 

Observe : 

I.   THE   LIFE  OF  CHRISTIAN  ORTHODOXY  IS  CHRIST 

He  is  the  Alpha  and  Omega.  A  man  is  not  an  ortho- 
dox Christian  simply  because  he  believes  in  Christ.     A 


262  A    QUIVER  OF  ARROWS 

humanitarian  goes  as  far  as  that.  Others  extol  Christ's 
charadler  and  life  and  set  Him  up  wholly  as  an  example 
for  men  to  follow,  and  say,  "Why  discuss  the  matter 
further  ?  ' '  The  Scriptures,  to  a  large  extent,  are  set 
aside.  Christ  must  not  be  dismembered.  He  is  more 
than  an  exemplar  in  benevolence.  He  is  Priest,  Prophet, 
and  King.  To  reje6l  him  in  either  of  these  points  is  to 
rejedt  Him  z>z  toto. 

1.  He  offers  Himself  as  Priest. — He  makes  expiation 
for  sin  on  Calvary,  therefore  is  a  substitute  for  sinful 
men.  He  takes  His  heart  out  of  His  own  bosom  and 
lays  it  throbbing  on  the  altar.  If  we  believe  in  Christ 
we  must  believe  in  His  atoning  blood.  * '  He  was  wounded 
for  our  transgressions. ' ' 

2.  He  is  our  Prophet. — Our  great  Teacher.  He  has 
something  to  say  as  to  God,  sin,  spiritual  death,  life,  and 
immortality,  the  resurredlion  of  the  body,  and  the  final 
judgment.     His  word  is  the  court  of  last  appeal. 

3.  He  is  our  King. — "  Ye  call  me  Master  and  Lord  ; 
and  so  I  am."  He  speaks  of  our  manner  of  life,  of  the 
sacramental  table,  and  of  evangelizing  the  world.  We 
are  to  obey  Him,  for  His  word  is  authority. 

II.   THE  SYMBOL  OF  CHRISTIAN  ORTHODOXY  IS 
THE  BIBLE 

I.  The  Scriptures  are  the  only  authoritative  source  of 
i7iformation  respecting  Christ. — Christ  without  the  Scrip- 
tures is  a  mere  name  and  meaningless,  except  for  senti- 
mental uses. 

Do  you  believe  in  Christ  ?     Yes. 

What  Christ  ?     The  Christ  of  history. 

Where  may  belief  for  such  authority  be  found  ?  In 
the  Bible. 


ORTHODOXY  263 

Do  you  mean  the  New  Testament  ?  As  a  true  believer 
you  would  reply,  ' '  Yes,  in  both  the  Old  and  New  Testa- 
ments." As  it  takes  two  hemispheres  to  make  a  world,  so 
it  requires  two  Testaments  to  make  one  complete  record 
of  Christ.  But  why  believe  the  Scriptures?  Is  it  not 
enough  that  He  is  all  and  in  all  to  me  ?  No.  Christ  as  the 
incarnate  word  and  the  Scriptures  as  the  written  word 
make  a  complete  revelation.  Yours  is  not  the  religion 
of  a  book,  but  Christ  is  reliably  described  in  a  book. 

It  is  like  this  :  You  tell  the  water  commissioner  that 
you  want  water  in  your  house.  He  answers,  "Don't 
worry,  we  will  have  the  pipes  put  in  right  away."  Who 
said  anything  about  pipes  ?  It  is  water  you  want.  But 
you  get  water  through  pipes.  It  is  pipes  or  no  water. 
So,  it  is  Bible  or  no  Christ.  That  is  the  medium  through 
which  Christ  comes  authoritatively  to  us. 

2.  Christ  received  the  Scriptures  as  setting  forth  the  plan 
of  salvatio7i  which  centers  in  Him. — He  quoted  Genesis, 
Exodus,  Leviticus,  Numbers,  Deuteronomy^  Samuel, 
Kings,  Chronicles,  Psalms,  Proverbs,  Song  of  Solomon, 
Isaiah,  Jeremiah,  Ezekiel,  Daniel,  and  most  of  the  minor 
prophets.  He  made  reference  to  Adam  and  Eve,  Abel, 
Noah,  the  Flood,  Abraham,  the  Destrudlion  of  Sodom, 
Lot's  Wife,  Jacob's  Ladder,  the  Burning  Bush,  the  Manna, 
the  Brazen  Serpent,  the  Queen  of  Sheba,  and  Jonah. 
He  never  hinted  that  any  part  of  the  Scriptures  was  not 
trustworthy.  Either  He  did  not  know  as  much  as  our 
modern  critics  or  else  He  intended  to  deceive.  If  we 
accept  Christ  we  must  accept  His  Word.  The  conclusion 
is  irresistible. 

3.  He  commended  the  Scriptures  as  decisive. — "Search 
the  Scriptures,  for  in  them  ye  think  j'e  have  eternal  life, 
and  they  are  they  which  testify  of  me,"     Search  with 


264  A    QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

the  help  of  all  attainable  light  of  scholarship.  Search 
by  heartfelt  experience.  Search  through  the  help  of  the 
Holy  Spirit. 

III.    THE    ADMINISTRATOR    OF  CHRISTIAN    ORTHO- 
DOXY   IS  THE   HOLY  SPIRIT 

1.  He  reveals  the  truth  of  the  Scriptures. — I  stand  in  the 
wheel-house  of  an  ocean  steamer  looking  bewildered  on 
the  marine  reports  which  are  written  in  cipher  and  hiero- 
glyphics. But  the  captain  makes  all  plain.  He  holds  the 
key.  So  the  Scriptures  are  an  unknown  tongue  to  un- 
aided wisdom.  The  Holy  Spirit  makes  them  clear.  He 
opens  eyes  and  gives  light — light  on  the  Incarnation, 
Calvary,  Resurredlion,  Love. 

2.  He  leads  us  into  all  trjith. — If  we  have  fallen  into 
error,  it  is  because  either  we  have  failed  to  consult  the 
Holy  Spirit,  or  we  have  been  unwilling  to  be  guided  by 
Him.  "  If  any  of  you  lack  wisdom,  let  him  ask  of  God, 
who  giveth  to  all  men  liberally,  and  upbraideth  not." 
There  is  a  desperate  and  intolerable  pride  of  human 
wisdom  which  opposes  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  The 
Holy  Spirit  came  in  the  place  of  Christ,  and  speaks  to  our 
consciousness  as  Jesus  spoke  to  men  in  the  days  of  His 
flesh. 

Think  more  kindly  of  orthodoxy.  Recently  it  has 
been  the  fashion  to  deride  it.  The  new  school  of  thinkers 
has  smeared  its  face  with  phosphorus,  crowned  it  with 
cap  and  bells,  and  put  it  in  the  stocks  to  be  mocked  at. 
But,  moved  by  the  love  of  truth,  devotion  to  principle, 
and  fealty  to  God,  let  us  uncover  and  do  obeisance  as  we 
pass  by. 


LIII 

THE  OLD  BOOK  AND  THE  NEW 
CENTURY 


The  voice  said,  Cry.  And  he  said,  What  shall  I 
cry?  All  flesh  is  grass,  and  all  the  goodliness 
thereof  is  as  the  flower  of  the  field  ;  the  grass 
withereth,  the  flower  fadeth,  because  the  Spirit 
of  the  Lord  bloweth  upon  it;  surely  the  people  is 
grass.  The  grass  withereth,  the  flower  fadeth; 
but  the  word  of  our  God  shall  stand  forever. 
—Isaiah  xl :  6-8. 


^T^  HE  Greeks,  a  hundred  thousand  strong,  crossed 
*    I        the  .^gean  in  a  thousand  ships  and  encircled 
Si^:gU       ancient  Troy.     Catapults  were  planted  on  sur- 
rounding hills,  from  which  great  stones  were 
hurled  through  the  air.     With  the  use  of  battering  rams 
the  outer  ramparts  were  penetrated,  but  only  to  find  that 
the  Trojans  were  secure  in  their  citadel. 

Strategy  was  then  resorted  to.  A  wooden  horse,  pur- 
porting to  be  a  propitiatory  offering  to  Athena,  but  really 
containing  a  band  of  Greek  warriors,  was  received  by 
the  unsuspecting  Trojans  within  their  citadel.  At  night 
the  warriors  issued  forth  and  opened  the  gates  to  the  be- 
leaguered hosts,  and  thus  Troy  fell. 

The  citadel  of  our  religion  is  the  Bible.  The  fiercest 
assaults  of  Antichrists  have  been  diredted  against  it.  Ene- 
mies of  the  truth  still  challenge  it. 

The  eighteenth  century  saw  a  storm  of  infidelity.  The 
Reign  of  Terror   in  France  swept  away  the  moral  law, 

265 


266  A  QUIVER  OF  AJiI?OWS 

The  legislature  declared  that  there  was  no  Gdd  ano  no 
Sabbath.  Voltaire  said:  "  I  am  going  through  the  forests 
of  your  Christian  dodlrines  and  I  will  girdle  every  tree, 
so  that  presently  not  a  sapling  shall  be  left  to  you."  All 
Europe  aped  France's  freethinkers. 

At  that  time  our  own  country  felt  its  force. 

Thomas  Paine  brought  the  manuscript  of  the  ' '  Age  of 
Reason"  to  Benjamin  Franklin,  who  said,  "Do  not 
unloose  that  tiger  ;  if  our  people  are  what  they  are  with 
the  Bible,  what  will  they  be  without  it  ?  "  But  the  tiger 
was  let  loose.  In  the  beginning  of  the  nineteenth  cen- 
tury a  great  tidal  wave  of  infidelity  swept  over  the  coun- 
try. In  1800  Yale  College  had  but  three  professing 
Christians  among  its  students.  * 

The  twentieth  century  comes  in  amid  a  similar  tempest. 

There  is  a  great  difference  in  the  methods  pursued. 
The  assault  is  not  from  without,  as  a  century  ago,  but 
from  within.  There  is  an  ominous  silence  in  the  Trojan 
camp.  Bradlaugh  in  England  and  Ingersoll  in  America 
were  the  last  of  the  old  guard.  Open  warfare  has  given 
way  to  strategy.  The  Trojan  horse  has  been  brought 
within  the  walls,  and  not  a  few  theological  professors 
and  ministers  of  the  Gospel  have  attempted  to  draw  the 
bolts  of  the  citadel  gates.  If  the  Bible  is  overthrown 
Christianity  falls. 

Let  us  review  the  salient  points  of  the  controversy  : 

I.   AS    TO  THE   LITERARY  VALUE- OF  THE  BIBLE 

Where  will  you  find  such  poetry?  Milton  said, 
"  There  are  no  songs  like  the  songs  of  Zion." 

Or  such  oratory?  Daniel  Webster  said,  "  If  there  is 
aught  of  eloquence  in  me,  it  is  because  I  learned  the 
Scriptures  at  my  mother's  knee." 


THE  OLD   BOOK  AND    THE  NEW   CENTURY    267 

Or  such  logic  ?  Lord  Bacon  said,  ' '  There  is  no  philos- 
ophy like  that  of  the  Scriptures." 

Or  unity  and  completeness  of  beauty  and  power? 
Froude  said,  ' '  The  Bible  is  in  and  of  itself  a  liberal  edu- 
cation. ' ' 

Or  what  book  or  books  can  compare  with  it  ?  Sir 
Walter  Scott  said,  "Bring  me  the  book."  "What 
book  ?  "     "  There  is  but  one  book— the  Bible. ' ' 

II.   AS  TO  THE   SCIENCE  OF   SCRIPTURE 

Tho  it  is  not  a  scientific  book,  yet  what  is  said  in  it  of 
science  is  accurate.  Some  scientific  men  decry  the  Bible. 
But  set  over  against  them  such  scientists  as  Descartes, 
Locke,  Newton,  Faraday,  Dana,  Agassiz,  Lord  Kel- 
vin, and  many  others  worthj^  of  equal  mention.  Dana, 
addressing  the  Class  of  1867,  said:  "Young  men,  you 
are  going  out  into  a  world  where  you  must  meet  an 
increasing  attack  upon  your  faith.  Let  me  ask  you  to 
remember,  as  my  parting  counsel,  that  whenever  you  are 
in  doubt  amid  the  confused  voices  of  scientific  contro- 
versy, you  may  always  with  perfedl  confidence  afi&x  your 
faith  to  any  statement  of  the  Word  of  God. ' ' 

The  Scriptural  dodlrine  of  origins,  ' '  In  the  beginning, 
etc.,"  has  been  assailed.  But  the  scientists  themselves 
differ.  Darwin  asserted  that  ' '  evolution  is  as  j^et  a  mere 
hypothesis. ' '  You  can  not  batter  down  Gibralter  with  a 
bulrush. 

Then  there  is  Autogenesis,  or  beginning  without  a 
God.  Experimentalists  hold  to  this  dodtrine.  I  will 
yield  to  that  when  any  of  them  will  create  so  much  as  a 
grain  of  mustard  seed,  or  the  most  infinitesimal  and  sim- 
plest formed  of  animalculae.  Until  then  we  may  be  par- 
doned if  we  hold  to  the  Bible  declaration  as  to  beginnings. 


268  A   QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

III.   AS  TO  THE   HISTORICITY  OF  THE  BIBLE 

There  are  obje(5tions  to  the  Pentateuch.  Moses,  they 
say,  could  not  have  written  it,  because  the  art  of  writing 
was  unknown  in  his  day.  But  the  excavations  at  Tel-el- 
Amarna  show  that  Babylonian  kings  were  corresponding 
with  each  other  a  century  before  Moses  was  born. 

The  story  of  the  Pharaohs  and  Israel  is  unhistoric. 
But  the  sepulchres  of  Thebes  have  been  opened,  and  in 
the  Museum  of  Boulak  the  mummy  of  old  Meneptah,  the 
Pharaoh  of  the  Kxodus,  ends  the  argument. 

The  story  of  Balaam  and  Balak  is  fabulous,  since  the 
Jews  and  Moabites  spoke  different  tongues.  But  the 
finding  of  the  Moabite  stone  reveals  the  facft  that  the 
Jews  and  the  Moabites  spoke  kindred  dialedts  of  the 
Hebrew. 

The  Hittites  were  a  myth,  because  they  were  nowhere 
spoken  of  except  in  the  Bible.  But  royal  seals  and  cylin- 
ders of  the  Hittites  have  been  dug  up,  and  show  that 
this  people  contended  for  the  mastery  among  the  nations. 

So  the  Pentateuch  remains. 

IV.   AS  TO  THE   THEOLOGY   OF  THE  BIBLE 

That  is,  the  dodtrine  of  God.  There  are  no  atheists,  as 
in  the  last  century.  New  gods  have  sprung  up.  They  are 
called  by  different  names — as,  Energy,  Force,  Law,  the 
All-pervading  Soul  of  the  Universe,  a  Something  not 
Ourselves  that  Maketh  for  Righteousness — anything  but 
the  God  of  Creation,  of  Providence,  and  of  Grace.  All 
are  mere  spedters. 

The  result  is  just  what  it  was  in  ancient  Greece  when 
Paul  went  there.  The  Bible's  God,  and  none  other,  can 
satisfy  human  needs. 


THE  OLD  BOOK  AND    THE  NEW  CENTURY    369 

V.  AS  TO  THE   ETHICS  OF  THE  BIBLE 

The  moral  code  for  centuries  has  passed  through  the 
flames  of  controversy.  It  does  not  even  have  the  smell 
of  fire  upon  it. 

The  two  great  ethical  symbols  of  the  Bible  are  the 
Decalog  and  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount. 

Who  is  bold  enough  to  pass  adverse  judgment  upon  the 
Ten  Commandments  ?  Who  will  presume  to  criticize  the 
Sermon  on  the  Mount  ? 

These  two  can  do  two  things  : 

1.  Make  a  nation. — Time  and  experience  prove  it. 

2.  Make  men. — Christ  is  the  perfedl  man,  an  illustra- 
tion of  the  perfe(5l  law,  an  exemplar  to  all  right-thinking 
and  right-living  men.  To  imitate  Christ  is  charadler,  to 
follow  Him  is  usefulness.  A  true  Christian  is,  as  Alex- 
ander Pope  says,  "  the  highest  style  of  Man." 

VI.  AS  TO  THE  PLOT  OF  THE  DRAMA 

The  Book  is  a  drama,  with  a  purpose  running  through  it, 
clear,  progressive,  climadleric  as  the  theme  of  an  oratorio. 
It  begins  at  Paradise.  We  follow  it  through  Chronicle 
and  Psalm  and  Prophec5\  There  is  a  lapse  ;  then  comes 
suddenly  a  gush  of  music  on  the  Judean  hills,  followed 
in  a  few  years  by  the  tragedy  of  Calvar3^  Then  another 
gush  of  music  from  the  heavenly  heights  :  ' '  Worthy  art 
thou  to  receive  honor  and  glory  and  power  and  dominion 
for  ever  and  ever,  for  thou  wast  slain  and  hast  redeemed 
us  by  thy  blood."  The  crimson  path  runs  from  Genesis 
to  Finis.     Here  is  the  rational  escape  from  the  guilty  past. 

VII.   AS    TO  THE  CENTRAL  FIGURE  OF  THE   BIBLE 

Has  the  adverse  criticism  of  the  century  robbed  us  of 
our  Christ?     Nay,   He  still  remains  our  peerless  Lord. 


270  A    QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

"  If  the  life  and  death  of  Socrates  were  these  of  a  sage," 
said  Rousseau,  "the  life  and  death  of  Jesus  were  those 
of  a  God." 

A  Hall  of  Fame  has  recently  been  instituted  in  connec- 
tion with  New  York  University,  and  a  score  of  names  are 
chosen  to  be  inscribed  in  its  granite  columns.  But 
by  what  a  bridgeless  gulf  is  Jesus  separated  from  them 
all! 

Napoleon  said,  when  in  exile  :  "  My  life  once  shone 
with  the  brilliance  of  a  diadem,  but  now  who  cares  for 
me?  Caesar,  Alexander,  and  I  dreamed  of  universal 
empire.  Where  are  they?  I  shall  soon  be  forgotten. 
But  Jesus  died  eighteen  centuries  ago  after  founding  an 
empire  of  love,  and  at  this  hour  there  are  millions  of  men 
who  would  die  for  Him." 

The  old  Book  stands  like  Kddystone  I^ighthouse,  despite 
all  swirling  tides  and  buffeting  storms,  casting  a  steady 
light  over  the  broad  seas.  The  citadel  stands  too.  Its 
walls  are  intadl,  and  its  bolts  have  not  been  drawn  by 
treachery  within.  Over  it  floats  the  red  banner  of  the 
cross. 

A  hundred  years  ago  Lord  Chesterfield,  while  visiting 
in  Paris,  was  entertained  by  a  lady  of  distindlion,  but  a 
bitter  foe  of  Christianity.  She  said  :  "My  lord,  I  am 
informed  that  your  English  Parliament  is  composed  of 
five  or  six  hundred  of  the  most  profound  and  brilliant 
thinkers.  Will  you  explain  to  me  why,  under  their 
authority,  the  Bible  is  still  recognized  in  the  legislation  of 
your  country,  and  the  obsolete  religion  of  the  Nazarene 
is  maintained  as  the  State  religion?"  He  answered: 
"Madam,  this  is  a  mere  temporary  makeshift ;  we  are 
casting  about  for  something  better,  and  when  that  is 
discovered  the  Bible  and  Christianity  must  go. ' ' 


THE  OLD   BOOK  AND    THE  NEW  CENTURY   271 

The  world  has  been  casting  about  for  centuries  for 
something  better,  but  has  not  found  it  j^et. 

Sinners  will  seek  salvation  in  the  Bible,  and  the 
troubled  will  continue  to  seek  shelter  under  its  protedl- 
ing  wings.  "  All  flesh  is  as  grass  :  the  grass  withereth, 
the  flower  fadeth  ;  but  the  word  of  our  God  shall  stand 
forever. ' ' 


LIV 
OFFENDED   IN  CHRIST 


From  that  time  many  of  his  disciples  went  back 
and  walked  no  more  with  him. 

—John  vi :  66. 


ESUS  had  just  performed  the  miracle  of  the  loaves 
and  fishes,  and  the  miracle  of  walking  upon  the 
se-a  and  stilling  the  storm. 

It  was  the  time  when  the  great  multitudes 
were  thronging  the  thoroughfares  on  their  way  to  the 
feast  of  the  Passover  in  Jerusalem.  Some  of  them  thought 
it  a  good  time  to  get  even  with  the  Roman  government 
and  place  this  wonder-worker  on  the  Davidic  throne. 
But  He  got  away  from  them,  rebuked  them,  said  that 
they  followed  Him  about  for  the  loaves  and  fishes;  and 
then  He  delivered  the  most  searching  discourses  touching 
the  deepest  problems  of  life.  From  that  moment  many 
were  offended  in  Him,  dropped  away  one  by  one,  until 
He  was  left  with  a  mere  handful  of  the  faithful. 
The  offense  was  : 

I.   OF  THE   DOCTRINE  OF  CHRIST'S  DIVINITY 

They  said,  "  Whence  camest  thou  ?  "  He  replied,  "  I 
came  down  from  heaven. "  "  The  Father  sent  me. ' ' 
Here  was  a  declaration  of  His  preexistence.  This  per- 
plexed and  bewildered  them. 

We  must  either  accept  this  truth  or  turn  back. 

272 


OFFENDED    IN  CHRIST  273 

Some  would  receive  Him  as  a  prophet  who  had  a  mes- 
sage. The  rabbis  were  amazed  at  His  blasphemy.  The 
common  people  were  pleased  with  Him.  This  may  be 
admitted  and  Christ  rejedled  still.  "We  must  go  further 
or  turn  back. 

His  claims  were  explicit :  as  expressed  to  the  woman 
at  the  well,  to  Philip,  to  the  young  ruler,  and  to  many 
others.     It  was  Godhood  or  nothing. 

II.   OF  JUSTIFICATION  BY   FAITH 

Jesus  said:  "  I  am  the  bread  of  life."  This  was  sug- 
gested, perhaps,  by  the  miracle  of  the  loaves.  The 
meaning  is  plain. 

1.  He  was  the  savior  from  sin. — Bread  is  the  staff  of 
life.  Sin  brought  death  into  the  world.  Jesus  brought 
life.  He  is  "  the  way,  the  truth,  and  the  life."  "  The 
bread  which  is  my  flesh."  This  bread  must  be  broken. 
It  was  broken  on  Calvary.  "  He  was  wounded  for  our 
transgressions  and  bruised  for  our  iniquities. ' '  Our  sins 
broke  His  heart.  He  died.  But  out  of  that  came 
life. 

2.  The  condition  of  life . —  "He  that  believeth  shall  1)e 
saved."  Faith  is  acceptance.  It  was  not  the  lamb  on 
the  altar  that  averted  the  sword  of  the  destroying  angel, 
but  the  blood  on  the  door-posts.  It  is  not  bread  on  the 
table  that  .satisfies  hunger,  but  bread  eaten,  assimilated, 
so  that  it  becomes  brain,  bone,  sinew — our  very  selves. 

A  thousand  excuses  are  given  for  rejecfling  Christ. 
Back  of  them  all  is  the  natural  repugnance  to  free  grace. 
Our  pride  revolts  at  salvation  without  money  and  without 
price.  It  was  easier  to  undertake  a  pilgrimage  to  Mecca 
or  the  Ganges  than  to  be  saved  gratis.  To  the  Jews  it 
was  a  stumbling-block  and  to  the  Greeks  foolishness. 


274  A    QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

III.   OF   THE   DOCTRINE   OF   THE  KINGDOM 

When  they  murmured,  He  said,  "Does  this  offend 
you?"  "What  and  if  ye  shall  see  the  Son  of  Man 
ascending  up  where  He  was  before  ?  ' ' — that  is,  to  resume 
His  glory. 

Perhaps  it  was  too  much  to  expedl  the  people  to  receive 
this  truth  just  then.  They  were  familiar  with  Him  as  a 
carpenter  in  homespun.  They  may  even  have  seen  Him 
in  the  shop  mending  plows  and  the  broken  furniture  of 
His  neighbors.  They  were  willing  to  bestow  upon  Him 
the  Judean  crown,  but  to  claim  a  crown  of  stars  and  the 
kings  of  earth  to  bring  their  glory  and  honor  to  Him  was 
a  hard  saying. 

No  such  reason  now  exists  for  rejedling  Christ.  Time 
has  changed  popular  opinion.  He  now  rules.  The  con- 
quest of  the  Sudan,  the  rending  asunder  of  China,  the 
partition  of  Africa  are  mere  episodes  along  the  march  of 
universal  triumph. 

The  visible  token  of  Christ's  Kingdom  is  the  Church. 
This  is  the  miracle  of  the  ages.  That  insignificant  num- 
ber in  the  upper  chamber  has  multiplied,  like  the  loaves 
and  fishes,  into  the  millions.  The  air  is  resonant  with 
the  chorus, 

"  All  hail  the  power  of  Jesus'  name." 

The  progress  of  the  past  is  a  foregleam  of  the  future. 
The  whole  world  is  to  fall  before  Him  as  the  King  of 
Kings  and  L<ord  of  lyords. 

The  man  who  undertakes  to  reason  against  the  logic  of 
events  has  a  hopeless  task  before  him.  As  Alexander 
the  Great  was  advancing  through  the  Orient,  he  asked  of 
a  provincial  governor  the  privilege  of  passing  through  his 


I 


OFFENDED   IN  CHRIST  275 

territory.  The  answer  was  :  "  I  will  call  my  counselors 
and  deliberate."  The  great  conqueror  retorted:  "You 
may  deliberate,  but  I  shall  be  marching  on," 

Men  may  set  aside  the  claims  of  Christ,  but  He  will 
march  along  just  the  same.  It  was  not  without  pain  that 
He  beheld  men  one  by  one  leaving  Him  ;  for  to  the  few 
that  were  left  He  asked  the  pathetic  question,  "  Will  ye 
also  go  away  ?  ' ' 

The  profoundest  question  we  can  put  to  ourselves  is, 
' '  To  whom  shall  we  go  ?  "  Who  has  life  besides  Christ  ? 
Can  any  other  save  ?  He  alone  has  eternal  life.  Blessed 
are  they  who  are  not  offended  in  Him  ! 


LV 
YOM   KIPPUR 


And  this  shall  be  a  statute  forever  unto  you : 
that  in  the  seventh  month,  on  the  tenth  day  of 
the  month,  ye  shall  afflict  your  souls,  and  do  no 
■work  at  all,  whether  it  be  one  of  your  own  coun- 
try, or  a  stranger  that  sojourneth  among  yon; 
for  on  that  day  shall  the  priest  make  an  atone- 
ment for  you,  to  cleanse  you,  that  ye  may  be 
clean  from  all  your  sins  before  the  I,ord. 

— I<EViTicus  xvi  :  29,  30, 


^^  OM  KiPPUR  is  the  Jewish  day  of  atonement. 

*    I        Every  Jewish  household  on  that  day  sacrifices 
^^Pi       a  fowl  as  a  sin-offering,  saying,  "  May  this  be 
my  substitute. ' ' 
The  interest  is  centered  on  three  events  :   ( i )  the  usual 
morning  sacrifice,  (2)  an  offering  by  the  high  priest  for 
himself  and  his  brethren  in  the  holy  oflSce,  (3)  the  atone- 
ment for  the  people. 

The  ceremony  sets  forth  : 

I.   THE  TREMENDOUS  FACT  OF  SIN 

1.  Sm  is  universal. — In  the  old  red  sandstone  the 
traces  of  rain-drops  may  be  seen.  They  indicate  which 
way  the  wind  blew  at  the  time  when  the  stone  was  mud 
on  the  surface  of  the  earth.  So  in  human  nature  we  note 
a  record  of  bygone  events.  All  people  bear  the  mark  of 
a  moral  tempest.  In  their  clay  there  is  the  sign  of  the 
serpent's  trail. 

2.  Sin  is  distributive. — Physicians  say  that  no  one  is 
perfectly  well,  tho  all  may  not  have  the  same  disease. 

276 


yoM  KiPPUR  277 

The  moral  malady  is  just  the  same.  "We  are  sick  with 
an  illness  that  will  ultimately  terminate  in  death. 
"  There  is  none  that  doeth  good  ;  no,  not  one." 

3.  Sin  is  all-pervasive. — The  venom  of  the  cobra  enters 
the  blood  and  poisons  every  part  of  it.  So  sin  defiles  the 
heart,  distorts  reason,  perverts  conscience,  and  paralyzes 
the  will.  ' '  The  whole  head  is  sick  and  the  whole  heart 
faint ;  from  the  sole  of  the  foot  even  unto  the  head  there 
is  no  soundness  in  it;  but  wounds,  and  bruises,  andputri- 
f ying  sores. ' ' 

4.  The  end  of  sin  is  inevitable. — Its  operation  is  slow 
but  sure,  like  the  movement  of  a  glacier.  The  Swiss  can 
not  oppose  the  glacier  by  bracing  himself  against  it  nor  by 
placing  a  barricade  against  it.     It  is  simply  irresistible. 

II.   THE   IMPRESSIVE   FACT  OF  THE  ATONEMENT 

Blood-atonement  is  as  universal  as  sin.  Yet  there  is 
no  virtue  in  the  blood  itself.  Back  of  it  is  LovE.  Christ 
is  is  the  atoning  sacrifice,  but  love  led  Him  to  the  Cross. 

Notice  : 

1.  The  high  priest  in  his  garment  of  holiness. — He  who 
makes  atonement  for  sin  must  himself  be  free  from  it. 
This  was  symbolized  in  the  high  priest  bathing  himself 
and  the  putting  on  of  spotless  white  garments.  Jesus  was 
"  without  spot  and  blemish." 

2.  The  blood  of  the  sacrifice. — Ivife  for  the  guilty  by  the 
death  of  the  innocent  !  Payment  must  be  the  equivalent 
of  the  debt.  The  violation  of  law  demands  the  inflicflion 
of  the  penalty.  Christ,  the  infinite,  was  adequate  in  both 
cases. 

3.  The  scapegoat. — The  high  priest  having  transferred 
the  sins  of  the  people  to  the  goat,  it  was  led  forth  to 
Azazel,  the  land  of  separation,  and  lost  forever.     So  the 


278  A   QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

sins  of  every  believer  are  laid  on  Jesus.  He  carries 
them  away,  and  they  are  lost  to  view  forever.  They  are 
remembered  no  more. 

III.  THE  IMPORTANT  PERSONAL  FACTOR 

The  high  priest  represented  the  people.  So  Christ  is 
our  representative.  But  He  must  be  appropriated  by 
faith. 

A  few  years  ago  a  party  of  Americans  ascended  Mont 
Blanc.  They  were  overtaken  by  a  storm  and  lost  their 
way.  Every  one  perished  within  twelve  feet  of  shelter. 
Five  steps  would  have  saved  them.  One  step  only  is 
necessary  to  save  us.  The  supreme  moment  in  the  his- 
tory of  every  sinner  is  when  he  takes  that  step.  Jesus 
says:  "Come."     Answer:  "  I  wii,!,." 


LVI 

HE  SHALL  SO  COME 


And  while  they  looked  stedfastly  toward 
heaven  as  he  went  up,  behold,  two  men  stood 
by  them  in  white  apparel;  which  also  said,  Ye 
m.en  of  Galilee,  why  stand  ye  gazing  up  into 
heaven?  this  same  Jesus,  which  is  taken  up 
from  you  into  heaven,  shall  so  come  in  like 
manner  as  ye  have  seen  him  go  into  heaven. 
— Acts  i :  lo,  ii. 


¥p    ORTY  days  after  His  resurredlion  Christ  went  up 
*^        to  the  Mount  of  OHves.     A  group  of  His  fol- 
WrB        lowers  were  to  meet  Him  there  by  appointment. 
Some  conversation  took  place  between  them. 
They  wanted  to  know  when  He  would  restore  the  king- 
dom of  Israel.     He  did  not  tell  them;  instead,  He  re- 
newed to  them  the  promise  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  com- 
manded them  to  preach  the  Gospel  everywhere. 

Just  then  a  strange  thing  happened.  He  began  to  rise 
from  the  earth,  continued  rising  up  above  their  heads, 
higher  still,  clear  into  the  clouds;  then  vanished  out  of 
sight. 

While  thus  gazing  in  inexpressible  wonderment,  two 
men  in  white  appeared  and  said  that  this  same  Jesus 
would  come  again  as  they  had  seen  Him  go  away. 

The  spell  was  broken.  The  disciples  returned  to  Jeru- 
salem, and  told  what  they  had  seen  and  heard.  From 
that  day  a  great  change  took  place  in  them.  They  be- 
came bold  as  lions.  They  went  about  fearlessly  proclaim- 
ing the  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ, 

279 


280  A   QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

Observe : 

I.  JESUS  WILL  RETURN 

As  certain  as  He  had  gone.  He  Himself  predidled  it. 
Peter  preached  it. 

An  old  man  a  hundred  miles  from  the  nearest  water 
built  a  boat.  It  took  him  one  hundred  and  twenty  years 
to  finish  the  task.  Meanwhile  he  was  exhorting  the 
people  to  repent,  for  God  was  about  to  send  a  destrudlive 
flood.  They  made  sport  of  him  :  "Old  man,  what  are 
the  signs  of  the  weather  ?  A  fine  boat  this  !  When  will 
you  launch  her  ? ' '  But  the  flood  came — came  suddenly, 
unexpedledly. 

Scripture  says  that  Christ  shall  so  come. 

II.   JESUS  WILL  COME  VISIBLY 

Human  eyes  saw  Him  go.  They  shall  also  see  Him 
come.  ' '  Every  eye  shall  see  him,  and  they  also  which 
pierced  him." 

Listen  to  the  opening  of  the  sixth  seal  of  the  Apoc- 
alypse: "  And,  lo,  there  was  a  great  earthquake;  and  the 
sun  became  black  as  sackcloth  of  hair,  and  the  moon  be- 
came as  blood  ;  and  the  stars  of  heaven  fell  unto  the 
earth,  even  as  a  fig-tree  casteth  her  untimely  figs,  when 
she  is  shaken  of  a  mighty  wind.  And  the  heaven  de- 
parted as  a  scroll  when  it  is  rolled  together  ;  and  every 
mountain  and  island  were  moved  out  of  their  places. ' ' 
And  the  kings  and  potentates  and  mighty  men  came 
forth. 

These  were  the  opponents  of  Christ.  See  the  change  ! 
And  they  called  upon  the  mountains  and  the  rocks,  say- 
ing, ' '  Fall  on  us  and  hide  us  from  the  face  of  him  that 
sitteth  on  the  throne,  and  from  the  wrath  of  the  Lamb." 


HE  SHALL   SO   COME  281 

The  wrath  of  the  Lamb  !  Meekness  on  fire  with  holy 
indignation  ! 

The  head  once  crowned  with  thorns  is  now  crowned 
with  glory. 

I  remember  as  a  lad  hearing  the  story  of  an  old  woman 
who  had  stood  in  the  procession  that  welcomed  Washing- 
ton on  his  return  from  war.  Her  dim  eyes  kindled  with 
enthusiasm  as  she  told  of  the  splendors  of  that  day.  The 
village  girls  clad  in  white,  with  red  sashes  and  silver 
stars  and  green  garlands,  cast  flowers  in  the  path  of  the 
conqueror.  But  what  will  be  the  gladness  of  that  day 
when  Christ  comes  in  superlative  splendor  to  receive  His 
own  and  to  reign  King  over  all ! 

III.  JESUS  WILL  COME  PERSONALLY 

Not  merely  in  spiritual  manifestation  or  in  demonstra- 
tion of  His  moral  power,  but  in  propria  persona.  "  This 
same  Jesus  whom  ye  have  seen  go  into  heaven  shall  so 
come." 

The  blending  of  Deity  and  humanity  in  the  incarnation 
was  not  for  a  temporary  purpose.  He  is  theanthropos 
forever — one  with  us  in  an  eternal  purpose.  His  eyes, 
hands,  feet,  and  heart  are  just  the  same  as  in  the  days  of 
His  flesh. 

We  shall  identify  Him  by  His  scars.  John  saw  Him 
as  the  "  Lamb  that  had  been  slain  " — 

"  Five  bleeding  wounds  He  bears, 
Received  on  Calvary  ; 
They  pour  effectual  prayers, 
They  strongly  plead  for  me." 

But  His  body,  tho  identical  wnth  the  one  He  bore  here, 
is  changed.     It  was  changed  somewhere  between  Mount 


283  A    QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

Olivet  and  heaven.  It  was  fitted  for  the  spiritual  realm. 
All  things  are  adjusted  to  their  environment.  The  but- 
terfly and  the  caterpillar  are  the  same,  only  the  former 
was  fitted  to  fly  and  the  latter  to  crawl.  The  root  in 
the  earth  is  the  potency  of  the  flower  ;  bulb  and  tuberose 
are  the  same,  only  the  bulb's  home  is  in  the  earth  and  the 
tuberose  fills  the  atmosphere  with  beauty  and  fragrance. 
So  the  body  of  Jesus  is  the  same  in  heaven  as  on  earth, 
only  it  has  undergone  the  metamorphosis  necessary  to  its 
environment  there. 

So  it  will  be  with  us.  "  Behold  I  show  you  a  mystery: 
we  shall  be  changed  in  a  moment."  "  Behold,  now  are 
we  sons  of  God  ;  but  it  doth  yet  appear  what  we  shall 
be  ;  but  we  know  that  when  he  shall  appear  we  shall  be 
like  him,  for  we  shall  see  him  as  he  is. ' ' 

IV.  JESUS  WILL  COME   GLORIOUSLY 

There  are  three  tokens  of  the  splendor  of  His  advent : 

1.  The  trumpet. — The  herald  goes  before  with  the 
announcement  of  the  King's  coming. 

2.  The  cloud. — Not  the  dust-cloud  rising  from  the  roll- 
ing of  the  chariot,  but  the  Shekinah  of  the  Lord,  the 
cloud  that  stood  above  the  tabernacle  when  Israel  traveled 
through  the  wilderness,  the  cloud  that  enveloped  the 
disciples  on  the  Mount  of  Transfiguration.  The  cloud 
that  served  as  His  pavilion  shall  be  the  chariot  of  the 
King. 

3.  The  retinue  of  angels. — When  He  came  to  Bethle- 
hem a  mother  bent  over  His  cradle,  a  few  rustics  looked 
in  through  the  stable  door,  a  group  of  shepherds  knelt 
beside  Him,  and  a  company  of  wise  men  were  there  with 
gifts.  A  few  fishermen  and  other  humble  folk  followed 
Him  afterward  when  He  journeyed  through  Palestine. 


HE  SHALL    SO    COME  283 

One  bright  spring  day  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  29,  when 
His  disciples  and  a  multitude  of  pilgrims  turned  the  spur 
of  Olivet  and  came  in  sight  of  the  domes  of  Jerusalem, 
they  proclaimed  Him  King.  But  at  His  final  appearing 
the  shining  seats  of  heaven  will  be  emptied  to  furnish 
His  retinue,  the  skies  will  glow  with  gilded  chariots,  the 
clouds  will  wave  like  banners,  and  He  will  be  followed 
by  the  white  squadron,  ten  thousand  times  ten  thousand 
and  thousands  of  thousands,  cr^'ing  :  "  Worthy  art  thou 
to  receive  honor  and  glorj'  and  power  and  dominion  for 
ever  and  ever!  " 

V.   JESUS  WILL  COME  BENEFICENTLY 

He  came  first  to  redeem  the  world.  "It  is  finished," 
He  said  on  the  cross.  The  work  will  go  on  to  its  final 
consummation  :   "  The  restoration  of  all  things." 

1 .  O71  that  day  si7i  will  be  destroyed. 

2.  The  wicked  shall  be  banished  to  their  own  place. 

3.  Christ  shall  take  His  place  on  the  throne. 

4.  The  Golden  Age  will  then  begin. — But  when  ?  'Tis 
folly  to  predidt.  "  As  the  lightning  cometh,  so  also  shall 
be  the  coming  of  the  Son  of  Man." 

It  was  predicated  that  the  end  of  the  world  would  come 
at  the  close  of  the  tenth  centurj-.  At  that  time  there 
were  famines,  plagues,  wars,  and  the  breaking  up  of 
social  order.  At  the  approach  of  the  j'ear  one  thousand 
the  people  with  one  consent  prepared  for  the  second 
coming  of  Christ.  All  work  was  suspended  and  the  land 
left  unfilled.  Henry,  the  Emperor  of  Germany,  came 
down  from  his  throne,  donned  a  monk's  cowl,  and  went 
preaching  "  Repent,  for  the  Kingdom  of  God  is  at  hand." 
Crowds  slept  in  the  porches  and  under  the  shadow  of 
cathedrals.    Thus  the  last  night  of  the  year  was  reached. 


284  A   QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

Streets,  open  fields,  and  monastery  roofs  were  filled  with 
people  watching  the  skies.  Hours  went  by.  Morning 
came.  But  no  visible  Christ !  The  world  rose  from  its 
paralysis.  Then  the  crusades  began.  New  plans  of 
royal  conquest  were  formulated,  which  gave  birth  to  the 
medieval  cathedrals  to  bear  witness  to  the  enthusiasm  of 
a  world  born  anew  into  the  hope  of  a  vigorous  life. 

Prophetic  arithmetic  is  a  useless  employment.  The 
key  of  Daniel's  mystical  figures  hangs  on  God's  girdle. 
This  is  what  we  should  do  :  Watch  !  Pray  !  Trust  ! 

On  the  famous  "  dark  day  "  in  1780  the  General  As- 
sembly of  the  State  of  Connedlicut  in  session  at  Hartford 
was  alarmed.  It  was  whispered  that  the  world  was 
coming  to  an  end.  Colonel  Davenport  had  the  place 
lighted,  saying,  "  If  this  is  indeed  the  end  of  the  world 
I  am  sure  the  Master  can  find  us  no  better  employed 
than  in  attending  to  our  appointed  tasks, ' '   Wise  words  ! 

May  the  Master  find  us  ready  when  He  comes  ! 


LVII 
THE   GOLDEN   PASSIONAL 

When  thou  shalt  make  his  soul  an  offering  for 
sin,  he  shall  see  his  seed,  he  shall  prolong  his 
days,  and  the  pleasure  of  the  I<ord  shall  prosper 
in  his  band. 

—Isaiah  liii :  lo. 

"ISAIAH  was  called  a  bird  of  ill  omen  because  he 
denounced  the  sins  of  the  people. 

He  had  visions — visions    of    darkness  and 
visions  of  light,  visions  of  disaster  and  visions 
of  deliverance. 

The  chosen  people  negle(5led  the  temple  and  frequented 
the  temple  of  the  unclean  Astarte. 

Then  came  the  retribution.  Plagues,  famines,  hostile 
incursions,  and  spoliations. 

The  scene  changes.  The  miserere  becomes  a  gloria. 
The  Trinity  is  moved  at  the  cry  of  distress.  Then  comes 
the  cradle  scene  of  Bethlehem,  the  crossing  of  the  ways, 
the  shepherd  on  the  mountain,  the  man  of  war  approach- 
ing from  a  distance,  having  trod  the  wine-press  alone, 
the  herald's  voice  crying  in  the  wilderness,  and,  finally, 
the  via  dolorosa. 

A  mysterious  figure  is  borne  down  under  an  intolerable 
burden,  the  vicarious  sacrifice  is  offered.  Poly  carp  calls 
this  the  Golden  Passional. 

I.   THE   BURDEN-BEARER 

Seven  hundred  years  after  Isaiah's  ^^sion  Philip  heard 
a  voice  telling  him  to  go  to  Gaza  by  the  desert  road. 

285 


286  A    QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

Obeying,  he  heard  the  rumbling  of  chariot  wheels.  The 
chancellor  of  Queen  Candace  is  the  occupant,  reading  the 
prophecy  of  Isaiah,  and  wonders  who  this  mysterious 
person  is.  Is  it  Isaiah  himself  or  some  one  else  ?  Philip 
explains  it  to  mean  the  Messiah.  The  great  man  receives 
Him,  is  baptized,  and  then  goes  on  his  way  to  his  coun- 
try, rejoicing  in  a  new-found  savior,  to  tell  it  to  others. 
He  who  finds  Christ  finds  all.  Nor  can  he  keep  it  to 
himself. 

II.   THE  BURDEN 

The  world's  sin  is  the  burden,  Christ  is  the  sacrificial 
ofiering  for  that  sin. 

1.  Sin  is  a  tremendous  fa^. — Your  sin  and  mine.  All 
feel  the  shame  and  torture  of  it.  Paint  it  black  as  you 
may,  conscience  says  yea  and  amen  to  the  indidtment. 

2.  Death  is  a  tremeyidous  faH,. — This  follows  sin  as 
night  the  day.  A  liberal  writer  says  :  * '  We  have  man- 
aged in  the  progress  of  these  last  times  to  fill  hell  up. ' ' 
Would  that  it  were  so.  It  is  still  a  yawning,  fathomless 
gulf,  and  fixed. 

"  There  is  a  death  whose  pang 
Outlives  this  fleeting  breath, 
O,  what  eternal  horrors  hang 
Around   the   second  death  !  " 

There  is  a  suggestion  of  truth  in  the  Greek  fable  of 
Prometheus,  who  was  chained  to  the  rock  of  the  Cau- 
casus with  the  vulture  tearing  at  his  vitals,  and  who 
cried  out  in  his  pain  :  "  I  must  needs  endure  this  until 
one  of  the  gods  perchance  shall  bear  it  for  me." 

Christ  has  borne  it  all.  He  is  our  substitute.  God 
accepts  Him  as  such,  and  we  are  free. 

It  is  that  which  made  martyrs  brave. 


THE   GOLDEN  PASSIONAL  287 

Alice  Driver,  nearing  Smithfield,  cried,  touching  the 
chain  :  ' '  This  is  a  goodly  neckerchief.  God  be  praised 
for  it!" 

John  Bradford  said,  facing  the  fagots  :  "  Now  shall  I 
ascend  in  the  fiery  chariot  to  sup  with  my  Lord  in  His 
kingdom  to-night. ' ' 

Castilia,  standing  on  a  dizzy  height  from  which  she 
was  to  be  cast  to  her  death,  said  to  her  executioners  : 
"  Cast  my  body  down,  if  you  will ;  my  soul  can  not  fall, 
but,  like  an  eagle,  shall  ascend  to  God." 

III.   THE  COMPENSATION 

The  fanner,  scattering  his  seed  in  the  field,  looks  for  a 
harvest.  Christ  sowed  the  seed  ;  out  of  death  came  life. 
His  influence  has  been  perpetuated,  and  will  be  till  the 
end  of  all  things  here  and  into  the  far  beyond. 

The  centurion,  looking  on  the  pallor  of  the  Savior's 
face,  said  :  "He  is  dead."  The  rabbis  said  :  "  He  will 
trouble  us  no  more."  The  disciples,  grief-stricken, 
murmured  :  ' '  We  hoped  it  was  he  that  should  deliver 
Israel;  but,  alas!  he  is  dead."  At  the  same  time  all 
heaven  was  ringing  with  the  cry  :  ' '  He  that  was  dead 
liveth,  and  is  alive  forever  more,  and  hath  the  keys  of 
death  and  hell." 

' '  He  shall  see  his  seed. ' '  He  has  already  seen  it : 
John,  Peter,  and  the  Magdalen.  Others  were  coming  : 
Saul,  Lydia,  Queen  Candace's  chancellor,  three  thousand 
on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  sometimes  more,  and  still  they 
are  coming,  millions  strong. 

Three  mighty  men  sought  universal  empire — Caesar, 
Alexander,  Napoleon.  Here  lies  Caesar  at  the  foot  of 
Pompey's  pillar,  dead.  Write  on  his  gravestone  "  Fail- 
ure. ' '    There  lies  Alexander  under  the  table,  dead,  as  the 


288  A    QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

result  of  a  drunken  revel.  Write  on  his  gravestone 
* '  Failure. ' '  Yonder  lies  Napoleon,  under  the  dome  of  the 
Invalides,  with  his  battle-flags  around  him.  Write  on 
his  gravestone  "Failure." 

There  is  One  above  all.  He  sought  universal  empire 
and  won  it.  The  story  is  profoundly  fascinating,  inspir- 
ing, arousing  ! 

When  Handel  was  composing  the  Oratorio  of  the  Mes- 
siah he  was  found  with  his  face  resting  upon  the  table, 
his  form  shaken  with  sobs.  Before  him  lay  the  score, 
open  at  the  place  where  it  is  written  :  *  *  He  was  despised, 
he  was  rejedted  !  " 

The  unparalleled  tragedy  stirs  the  soul  to  its  deepest 
depths,  not  only  in  sympathy  for  the  unmerited  cruelty 
He  endured,  but  for  the  hope  of  eternal  life  He  brought 
to  the  universe  of  mankind. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SERMONS 


» 


LVIII 


WASHINGTON 


A  good  man  leaveth  an  inheritance  to  his  chil- 
dren's children. 

—Proverbs  xiii :  22. 


HE  child  is  father  of  the  man."  The  boy 
Washington  wrote  in  his  copy-book:  * '  Labor 
to  preserve  in  your  bosom  that  lingering 
spark  of  heavenly  fire  which  men  call  con- 
science. ' '  It  was  not  his  sentence  except  as  it  became  his 
by  copying  it  over  and  over  again  when  learning  to  write. 
His  subsequent  life  showed  that  in  it  he  had  incorporated 
that  principle,  for  he  was  noted  above  all  else  as  a  man 
of  conscience. 

His  father  died  when  he  was  ten  years  old,  but  he  had 
a  wise  and  good  mother.      That  told  ! 

He  came  near  being  a  midshipman  in  the  British  navy. 
He  saw  tears  in  his  mother's  eyes  when  about  to  embark. 
That  was  enough.  That  little  change  of  purpose  was 
the  turning-point  not  only  in  his  history,  but  in  the  his- 
tory of  the  nations. 

To  Lafayette,  speaking  to  Washington's  mother  of  her 
son's  brave  deeds  and  successful  campaign,  she  replied, 
"  I  am  not  surprised  ;  George  was  always  a  good  boy." 
The  House  of  Burgesses  voted  him  thanks  for  a  brave 
and  dangerous  effort  in  the  war  with  the  French  and 
Indians.     He  arose  to  reply,  but  could  not  speak.     The 

291 


292  A   QUIVER  OF  ARROWS 

presiding  ofl&cer  said,  "Sit  down,  Mr.  Washington,  your 
modesty  alone  can  equal  your  valor. ' ' 

He  was  eledled  to  Congress  in  1774  and  made  Com- 
mander-in-Chief of  the  Continental  forces.  Then  came 
those  eight  years'  startling  events  out  of  which  was  born 
our  constitutional  freedom.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he 
gracefully  resigned  his  sword,  saying,  "The  chaplains 
of  the  army  will  render  thanks  to  Almighty  God. ' ' 

On  becoming  the  first  President  he  said  :  ' '  No  people 
can  be  bound  to  acknowledge  and  adore  the  invisible 
Hand  which  condu(5ts  the  affairs  of  men  more  than  the 
people  of  the  United  States.  Every  advance  .  .  . 
to  an  independent  nation  was  a  token  of  providential 
agency. ' ' 

At  the  close  of  his  second  presidential  term  he  observed: 
"  Of  all  the  dispositions  and  habits  which  lead  to  politi- 
cal prosperity,  religion  and  morality  are  indispensable." 
"  Morality  is  a  necessary  spring  of  popular  government," 

Washington  finally  retired  to  Mount  Vernon,  died  an 
old  man,  and  his  last  words  were  :   "  It  is  well." 

Washington's  success  was  less  due  to  his  qualities  of 
mind  than  his  heart.     Religion  was  at  the  bottom  of  it. 

I.    HE  BELIEVED  IN   GOD 

To  him  God  was  a  person,  not  a  Universal  Law,  nor  a 
Prevailing  Force,  nor  a  ' '  Something  that  Maketh  for 
Righteousness."  Speaking  of  Braddock's  defeat,  he 
wrote  :  "By  the  all-powerful  dispensation  of  Providence 
I  have  been  protedled  beyond  all  human  probability,  for 
I  had  four  bullets  through  my  coat  and  two  horses  shot 
under  me  ;  yet  I  escaped  unhurt,  while  death  was  level- 
ing my  companions  on  every  side  of  me. ' ' 

He  held  that  Divine  Providence  protedled  this  country 


WA  SHING  TON  293 

as  well  as  himself.  Listen  to  him  as  he  speaks  of  his 
country  :  "A  man  must  be  worse  than  an  infidel  who 
does  not  see  the  goodness  of  God  or  has  not  gratitude 
enough  to  acknowledge  it. ' ' 

II.   HE  BELIEVED  IN  JESUS  CHRIST 

He  held  the  do(5trine  of  justification  by  faith  through 
our  lyord  Jesus  Christ.     No  salvation  in  any  other  way. 

In  his  day  the  question  was  raised  whether  the  nation 
was  a  Christian  nation.     He  never  doubted  it. 

What  has  been  the  verdi(5lof  the  people  in  all  the  pres- 
idential eledtions  ?  From  George  Washington  to  Theo- 
dore Roosevelt  they  have  cast  their  votes  for  acknowl- 
edged Christian  men,  believing  that  the  government  is 
safest  in  Christian  hands. 

All  our  legislatures  and  our  Army  and  Navy  have 
Christian  chaplains.  Significant !  Is  there  need  of  fur- 
ther argument  ? 

III.   HE  WAS  A  MEMBER  OF  A  CHRISTIAN  CHURCH 

An  Episcopalian.  His  pastor,  Rev.  Lee  Massy,  said 
of  him :  "I  never  knew  so  constant  an  attendant  on 
church  as  he,  and  his  behavior  in  the  house  of  God  was 
ever  so  deeply  reverent  that  it  produced  the  happiest 
eflecfls."  But  he  was  more  than  a  churchman.  On  one 
occasion  when  encamped  at  Morristown  he  asked  permis- 
sion to  participate  in  the  Communion  in  the  Presbyterian 
Church.  The  answer  was  :  "We  do  not  propose  to  cele- 
brate a  Presbyterian  Supper  nor  an  Episcopalian  Supper, 
but  the  Supper  of  the  Lord.  Come  and  welcome,  if  you 
love  Him."  He  was  there.  All  the  world  knows  that 
any  narrower  interpretation  of  the  Holy  Communion  is  a 


294  A    QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

shame.     A  hedge  around  the  sacred  table  here  has  no 
existence  around  the  Marriage  Supper  of  the  Lamb. 

IV.   HE   BELIEVED  THE   BIBLE  TO  BE  THE  WORD 
OF  GOD 

He  referred  to  it  as  the  ' '  pure  and  benignant  light 
of  revelation."  He  read  it.  He  loved  it.  He  lived 
by  it. 

In  his  day  there  was  no  controversy  as  to  the  iner- 
rancy of  the  Scriptures.  People  either  did  or  did  not 
believe  them  to  be  the  Word  of  God.  Scholars  had  not 
learned  to  juggle  with  words.  It  never  occurred  to  any 
one  that  a  man  could  be  a  believer  and  an  unbeliever  at 
the  same  time. 

A  nephew  of  Washington  coming  suddenly  into  his 
room  found  the  great  man  on  his  knees  with  an  open 
Bible  before  him.  Were  we  accustomed  to  read  our 
Bible  on  our  knees  we  should  find  fewer  faults  in  it  and 
love  it  more.  The  sin  of  our  time  is  irreverence.  ' '  Fools 
rush  in  where  angels  fear  to  tread." 

V.   WASHINGTON   BELIEVED  IN  THE   SABBATH 

The  presidential  home  was  a  Sabbath-keeping  home. 
The  officers,  rank  and  file  of  the  army  were  required  to 
respecft  the  sandlity  of  the  Sabbath. 

Times  have  changed.  But  who  will  say  for  the  better 
in  this  respecft?  The  fundamental  principles  of  truth 
and  morality  have  not  changed.  The  twentieth  chapter 
of  Bxodus  remains  the  same.  If  men  have  abrogated 
the  eighth,  ninth,  tenth,  and  eleventh  verses,  God  has 
not.  What  will  they  have  to  say  for  themselves  at  the 
judgment  ?     No  man  can  violate  the  Sabbath  with  impu- 


WA  SUING  TON  295 

nity.    No  nation  can  disregard  the  Sabbath  law  and  live. 
The  path  of  Sabbath-breaking  is  marked  with  ruins. 

VI.   WASHINGTON   WAS  A  PRAYING  MAN 

When  leaving  home,  his  mother  said  :  ' '  My  son,  never 
negle(5t  the  duty  of  secret  prayer."  Nor  did  he.  He 
rose  at  4  A.m.  for  devotions.  A  Quaker,  walking  along  a 
creek  near  Valley  Forge,  heard  a  voice  in  the  thicket,  and 
making  his  way  to  it,  found  Washington  on  his  knees, 
his  face  uplifted,  and  his  eyes  full  of  tears.  The  Con- 
tinental cause  at  the  time  was  at  its  extremity — the  troops 
were  barefooted,  hungry,  and  heartsick.  The  treasury 
was  empty.     He  prevailed. 

A  man  of  prayer  is  a  man  of  power.  All  the  great 
leaders  of  men  for  human  rights  have  been  praying  men — 
such  as  Cromwell,  the  Prince  of  Orange,  and  Gustavus 
Adolphus,  who  entered  battle  with  a  prayer  on  their  lips. 

VI.  WASHINGTON  PRACTISED  WHAT  HE  BELIEVED 

The  copy  head  mentioned  at  the  beginning  of  this  digest 
was  his  guiding  star.  Even  his  name  was  a  voucher. 
It  is  said  that  even  the  flour  manufadlured  in  Mount 
Vernon  passed  in  West  India  ports  without  inspedlion. 
His  light  shone.     So  let  yours. 

There  is  a  startling  parallel  between  the  United  States 
and  France  almost  at  the  same  time. 

God  had  His  Washington.  France  had  its  Napoleon. 
Our  people  were  praying.  The  French  people  were 
cursing.  Our  people  beheved  in  God.  The  French 
Corps  Legislatif  passed  this  resolution  :  ' '  There  is  no 
God. ' '  The  fabric  of  constitutional  freedom  was  rising 
on  this  side  of  the  sea.  The  sharp  blade  of  the  guillotine 
was  decapitating  the  bravest  and  noblest  of  France.     Our 


296  A   QUIVER   OF  AHJiOWS 

nation  rejoiced  in  success  and  gave  praise  to  God,  The 
ill-founded  temple  of  freedom  in  France  went  down  in 
fire  and  blood. 

While  we  pay  tribute  to  the  name  of  Washington,  we 
pay  tribute  to  Washington's  God.  He  lived  for  God, 
labored  for  God,  and  finally  triumphed  in  the  faith  of 
God. 


LIX 
JUDAS   ISCARIOT 

OR 
THE  FLOWER,    FRUIT,   AND   ASHES  OF  SIN 

And  Judas  Iscariot  which  also  betrayed  him. 

— Mark  iii  :  19. 


UDAS  Iscariot  is  the  abhorred  of  all  men.  Boys 
are  called  after  the  name  of  John,  James,  Mat- 
thew, Paul,  and  Peter,  but  was  ever  a  boy 
called  after  the  name  of  Judas  Iscariot?  Yet 
he  was  once  an  infant  in  a  fond  mother's  arms.  He 
played  with  other  boys  in  the  street,  and  was  as  innocent 
and  merry  as  any  of  them.  He  dreamed  dreams  and  saw 
visions,  like  others,  in  his  5'oung  manhood.  Then  he 
entered  upon  a  new  career.  Jesus  met  him.  The  issue 
of  eternity  was  in  the  contadl. 

A  man  either  becomes  better  or  worse  by  meeting  with 
Jesus.  If  he  meets  Jesus  with  a  penitent  heart  and  a 
humble,  teachable  spirit,  he  will  live  a  transformed  life. 
If  with  a  spirit  of  self-interest  and  for  what  he  can  get  in 
a  mercenary  way,  he  will  go  on  from  bad  to  worse.  This 
is  the  evolution  of  death. 

There  is  a  tree  in  the  Orient  which  bears  a  crimson 
blossom  before  it  puts  forth  foliage,  a  flower  so  deadly 
that  bees  in  search  of  sweetness,  dipping  into  it,  fall 
dead.  The  fruit  of  this  tree  is  a  gall-apple  which  at 
ripeness  is  filled  with  a  bitter  dust.     It  is  appropriately 

297 


I 


298  A    QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

called  tlie  Judas  tree,  and  it  is  an  apolog  of  the   self- 
propagating  power  of  evil. 

There  are  three  stages  in  the  development  of  evil : 

I.   LUST 

This  is  the  blossom.  It  is  an  uncanny  word.  James 
says,  "  And  lust,  when  it  hath  conceived,  bringeth  forth 
sin  ;  and  sin,  when  it  is  finished,  bringeth  forth  death." 

Take  the  three  forms  of  it  : 

1,  Avarice. — The  desire  for  money.  Judas  carried  the 
bag.  Money  in  itself  is  innocent.  But  the  ' '  love  of  it  is 
the  root  of  all  evil." 

"  Gold  !  gold  !  gold  !  gold  ! 
Bright  and  yellow,  hard  and  cold, 
Molten,  graven,  hammered,  and  rolled  ; 
Heavy  to  get  and  light  to  hold  ; 
Hoarded,  bartered,  bought  and  sold. 
Stolen,  borrowed,  squandered,  doled  ; 
Spurned  by  the  young  and  hugged  by  the  old 
To  the  very  verge  of  the  churchyard  mold  ; 
Price  of  many  a  crime  untold  : 
Gold  !  gold  !  gold  !  gold  ! 
Good  or  bad  a  thousandfold  ! 

How  widely  its  agencies  vary; 
To  save,  to  ruin,  to  curse,  to  bless, 
As  even  its  minted  coins  express. 
Now  stamped  with  the  image  of  good  Queen  Bess, 

And  now  of  a  bloody  Mary." 

Money,  to  be  a  blessing  or  a  curse,  depends  upon  how 
we  get  it  and  how  we  use  it.  It  will  warm  the  blue  hands 
of  poverty,  or  burn  up  truth,  virtue,  love,  and  all  the 
noblest  passions  of  the  heart.  It  will  make  a  garden  out 
of  a  wilderness  or  scorch  the  greenest  meadows. 

2.  Sensuality. — The  inordinate  desire  of  pleasure. 
The  sensual  man  is  under  the  dominion  of  his  senses. 


JUDAS  ISCARIOT  299 

He  lives  to  gratify  himself.  His  end  is  disappointment 
and  shame,  for  pleasure  wanes  and  palls,  then  merges 
into  pain. 

The  Greeks  had  a  temple  of  pleasure  which  was  entered 
by  a  magnificent  doorway,  where  lights  gleamed  and  min- 
strels played  and  sang.  From  within  came  sounds  of 
music  and  dancing.  But  at  the  rear  of  this  temple  was 
a  wicket  gate  opening  into  a  swineyard.  The  end  of 
pleasure,  therefore,  is  not  satisfadtion  but  satiety.  The 
bacchanal  is  thrust  forth,  stripped  and  despoiled,  into 
shame  and  contempt.  His  substance  wasted,  he  sits  in 
the  swine-field  alone  with  his  shame  and  his  poverty. 

3.  Ambition. — Overweening  love  of  earthly  honor. 
This  is  the  weakness  of  the  noblest  minds. 

Alexander  the  Great  dreamed  that  he  was  at  the  door- 
way of  Paradise.  There  he  besought  a  blessing.  The 
warder  gave  him  a  concave  disk  of  bone,  an  empty  eye- 
socket,  saying  :  "This  hath  passion  infinite,  but  a  little 
dust  will  cover  it.  Control  thyself,  O  king  ! ' '  He 
went  his  way  and  placed  his  disk  in  a  scale.  Vainly  he 
sought  to  weigh  it  down  with  gold,  more  gold,  and  still 
more  gold.  He  threw  in  precious  stones  and  jewels, 
urns  and  chalices — in  vain  !  He  added  his  purple  robes 
and  crown,  but  still  in  vain  !  Then  he  bethought  him- 
self of  the  word  :  "  A  little  dust  will  cover  it."  A  hand- 
ful of  dust  was  thrown  into  the  scale,  and  the  eye-socket 
went  up  like  a  feather. 

So  the  paths  of  glory  lead  but  to  the  grave.  A  hand- 
ful of  graveyard  mold  will  cover  it. 

II.   SIN 

' '  Lust  bringeth  forth  sin. "  The  taste  of  the  sacramental 
bread  and  wine  was  still  on  the  lips  of  the  man  of  Kerioth 


300  A   QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

when  he  entered  the  Hall  of  Caiaphas.  There  he  be- 
trayed his  Lord  for  the  thirty  pieces  of  silver. 

Judas  was  eagerly  received.  The  rulers  had  waited 
for  this  chance  a  long  while. 

' '  When  will  you  deliver  Him  ? ' ' 

"To-night." 

"Where?" 

* '  In  the  garden  on  the  slope  of  Olivet.  He  is  there 
now  at  prayer." 

So  Judas  started  for  the  place  with  guards,  rabbis,  and 
a  mob  with  swords,  staves,  and  lanterns.  The  traitor 
was  in  the  lead.  They  hastened  down  the  Kedron  and 
up  on  the  opposite  slope  of  the  hill,  and  entered  through 
the  gate.  Pausing  a  moment,  Judas  said:  "Whomso- 
ever I  kiss,  the  same  is  He;  hold  him  fast."  Starting 
off  again  they  arrived  finally  at  the  grove.  In  the  dim 
light  of  the  moon  they  saw  Him  yonder,  and  Judas,  rush- 
ing headlong  to  his  ruin,  drew  near  and  threw  his  arms 
around  Him,  saying,  "  Hail,  Master  !  "  and  kissed  him. 
The  word  here  used  means  a  kiss  such  as  a  lover  gives  a 
maid.  He  kissed  him  eagerly  again  and  again.  That 
kiss  marked  the  consummation  of  his  sin — sin  against 
light,  a  sin  against  a  warning.  Treachery  !  Guilt,  deep 
and  dark ! 

That  sin  of  Judas  stands  alone.  Yet  all  sin  has  in  it 
the  element  of  treachery  against  Christ. 

"  Alas  !  for  me,  the  guilt  is  mine 
Whene'er  against  Thy  will  benign 

My  treacherous  heart  hath  stood  ; 
Mine  are  the  lips  that  have  betrayed. 
Mine  is  the  debt  which  must  be  paid 

With  groans  and  tears  and  blood." 


JUDAS  ISCARIOT  301 

III.  DEATH 

This  is  the  gall-apple  :  ' '  Sin,  when  it  is  finished, 
bringeth  forth  death." 

Judas  ' '  went  unto  his  own  place. ' ' 

We  catch  three  glimpses  of  this  man's  face  : 

1.  When  he  hurried  from  the  upper  chamber,  *'  and  it 
was  night. ^' — In  the  Wiertz  gallery  at  Brussels  there  is  a 
pidture  of  Judas  wandering  about  on  that  dreadful  night. 
He  has  come  upon  a  group  of  workmen  who,  wearied  by 
their  labors,  have  fallen  asleep.  The  light  of  the  moon 
falls  upon  their  quiet  faces.  The  features  of  Judas  are 
distorted  with  evil  passion.  He  catches  sight  of  the 
cross  Ijdng  on  the  ground,  the  carpenter's  tools  beside 
them.     He  clutches  his  money-bag  and  hurries  on. 

2.  At  the  doorway  to  the  hall  Gazith,  where  the  rabbis 
are  in  sessio7i. — He  may  not  enter.  He  pauses  at  the 
door  a  moment,  his  face  haggard  and  convulsed  with  an 
unspeakable  despair.  With  a  cry,  "  I  have  betrayed  in- 
nocent blood  !  "  he  throws  the  thirty  pieces  of  silver  down 
upon  the  marble  floor.  His  heart  and  conscience  are  on 
fire.     He  hurries  out  again  into  the  night. 

3.  At  the  field  Aceldama. — The  body  of  the  traitor 
hangs  from  the  bough  of  a  tree  over  the  deep  abyss  of 
Hinnom. 

The  owls  in  the  cleft  are  hooting  "  Fool,  fool,  that  he 
did  not  know  it  !  "  The  weird  winds  moan  through  the 
branches  ' '  O  fool,  not  to  have  known  that  '  the  wages 
of  sin  is  death  '  !  " 

By  way  of  application  : 

I .  Warning. — Beware  of  the  beginnings  of  sin.  When 
Pompey  could  not  prevail  upon  a  certain  city  to  billet  his 
army,  he  besought  the  people  to  let  in  a  poor  maimed 


303  A   QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

soldier  for  the  night.  That  night  the  maimed  soldier 
opened  the  gates  and  admitted  the  army. 

An  illicit  desire  has  in  it  the  promise  and  potency  of  a 
mortal  sin. 

2.  Hope  and  promise. — If  Judas,  at  any  time  before 
death,  had  sought  God's  mercy  he  would  have  found  it. 
He  was  not  beyond  pardon.  Jesus  prayed  for  His  mur- 
derers when  on  the  cross.  God  has  no  pleasure  in  the 
death  even  of  a  Judas.  ' '  Why  will  ye  die  ?  ' '  He  says, 
with  the  emphasis  on  the  * '  will. ' ' 

Peter  denied  Christ  and  was  filled  with  remorse,  but, 
repenting,  he  was  forgiven.  The  old  monk,  Staupitz, 
said  to  lyUther,  overwhelmed  with  shame  :  " '  The  true 
repentance  is  that  which  drives  the  soul  to  God. ' ' 

God  is  a  great  f  orgiver.  He  listens  to  hear  the  sobs. 
He  waits  for  prayer.  He  is  ready  to  speak  the  magic 
word  ' '  Pardon  ! ' ' 


LX 

A    COWARD,  AND    WHAT    BECAME    OF 
HIM    (PILATE) 

And  Pilate  gave  sentence  that  what  they  asked 

for  should  be  done. 

— I,UKE  xxiii :  24  (R.  V.). 

is  to  the  credit  of  human  nature  that  we  all 
abhor  a  coward.  Sir  Walter  Scott  had  a 
brother  whom,  it  is  safe  to  say,  you  never  heard 
of.  His  name  was  Daniel.  When  a  lad  Daniel 
went  to  the  West  Indies.  In  a  revolt  among  the  negroes 
he  showed  the  white  feather  and  fled.  His  name  was 
never  mentioned  after  that  in  the  family.  They  called 
him  ' '  our  relative  ' '  when  reference  had  to  be  made  to 
him.  Daniel  died.  He  was  buried  secretly.  No  weeds 
were  worn  for  him.     He  was  a  coward. 

An  old  king  of  the  Macedonians,  Perseus  by  name,  was 
left  out  of  the  chronicles.  He  fled  during  a  battle.  He 
was  found  by  some  of  his  captains  and  had  his  purple 
robe  hidden  in  his  saddle.  He  carried  his  diadem  under 
his  arm.  At  the  sight  of  his  pale  face  they  turned  back, 
one  on  pretense  of  fastening  his  shoe,  another  of  watering 
his  horse,  and  thus  he  vanished  from  view. 

It  is  bad  enough  to  be  a  physical  coward,  but  worse  to 
be  a  moral  coward,  especially  when  principle  is  at  stake  ; 
to  have  convidlions  but  no  courage  behind  them  ;  to 
recognize  the  evil,  but  lack  pluck  to  say  "  No." 

Here's  Pilate.  A  too  close  contadl  with  evil  had 
plowed  furrows  across  his  face.  Sensuality  had  left  its 
mark. 

303 


304  A    QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

He  had  come  from  Csesarea  to  Jerusalem  during  a 
great  feast  to  keep  peace,  for  the  Jews  were  a  turbulent 
race.  His  headquarters  were  at  the  castle  of  Antonia  ; 
but  he  kept  well  indoors,  for  the  Jews  as  well  as  others 
hated  him.  He  had  built  an  aquedudt  not  long  before 
and  paid  for  it  out  of  Corban,  the  sacred  treasury  of  the 
Temple.  When  the  Jews  remonstrated  he  sent  a  band 
of  Roman  soldiers  and  slaughtered  many  of  them.  A 
little  later  he  set  up  a  Roman  standard  in  Jerusalem  on 
which  was  the  name  of  the  emperor  to  whom  divine 
honors  were  paid.  The  Jews  arose,  besieged  his  gates, 
and  demanded  the  removal  of  the  idolatrous  symbol. 
More  recently  still,  while  a  few  Galilean  peasants  were 
worshiping,  he  sent  some  soldiers  to  slaughter  them  to 
gratify  a  grudge  he  had  against  them. 

On  the  morning  of  an  April  day  he  was  awakened  by 
a  beating  at  the  castle  gates.  A  prisoner  was  brought  to 
him  for  trial  whom  the  Sanhedrin  accused  of  blasphemy  : 
of  making  himself  equal  with  God.  But  this  was  a  theo- 
logical question,  and  a  Roman  governor  could  not  recog- 
nize it.  So  they  trumped  up  the  following  charges 
against  him  :  First,  he  had  perverted  the  nation  ;  second, 
he  had  forbidden  payment  of  tribute  to  Caesar ;  third, 
he  had  proclaimed  himself  king.  Pilate  must  decide  on 
the  case  ;  there  was  no  escape. 

So,  dear  friend,  you  must  decide  what  you  will  do  with 
Jesus. 

I.     MARK    THE    CIRCUMSTANCES    OF     PILATE'S 
COWARDICE 

I .  He  had  heard  about  Jesus  and  knew  Him. — The  say- 
ings and  works  of  Jesus  were  in  the  air.  He  had  had  an 
interview  with  Jesus.     In  this  interview  Pilate  said  : 


A    COWARD,  AND    WHAT  BECAME   OF  HIM      305 

"Art  thou  a  king?"     Jesus  said  j^es,  but  not  of  this 
world — a  king  in  the  province  of  truth. 

2 .  Pilate  had  been  warned  co7icerning  Him .  — Conscience 
rung  the  alarm.  So  had  his  wife,  Procula.  She  had 
had  a  dream.  Tradition  tells  us  about  it.  She  saw  a 
fire  that  consumed  homes  and  temples  and  palaces,  licked 
up  forests,  and  burned  the  heavens  like  a  parched  scroll, 
so  that  nothing  could  extinguish  it.  There  were  the 
cries  of  the  homeless,  the  fear-stricken,  and  the  dying. 
Then  a  lamb  appeared,  and  as  it  lifted  its  eyes  all 
sounds  were  hushed.  It  mounted  the  flaming  pyre  ;  its 
side  was  pierced,  blood  gushed  forth,  and  the  fires  were 
quenched.     Then  the  lamb  assumed  human  form : 

"  Of  a  man  divine  and  passing  fair, 
And  like  your  august  prisoner  there." 

Therefore  she  said,  "  Do  no  harm  to  that  just  man." 

3.  Pilate  attempted  evasion  ajid  compromise. — "Why, 
what  evil  hath  he  done  ?  ' '  He  might  as  well  have  sung 
a  lullaby  to  a  cyclone.  "Crucify  him!  crucify  him! 
crucify  him  !  "  roared  the  mad  mob. 

Then  a  happy  thought  struck  him.  ' '  I  will  send  him 
to  Herod."  But  that  old  schemer  could  not  be  caught 
napping.  So  Herod  sent  him  back.  Pilate  must  take 
the  responsibility.  Said  he,  ' '  I  will  chastise  him  and  let 
him  go."  Shame  for  a  Roman  magistrate  !  The  man  is 
either  guilty  or  innocent.  If  guilty,  he  must  die ;  if 
innocent,  he  should  be  set  free. 

Compromise  never  pays.  ' '  Nothing  is  settled  until 
it  is  settled  right."  In  1787,  at  the  making  of  our  Con- 
stitution, the  fathers  were  confronted  with  the  question 
of  slavery.  They  compromised,  and  the  country  reaped 
the  whirlwind  ever  since.      In  1820  Henry  Clay  came 


306  A    QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

with  his  Missouri  Compromise :  ' '  No  slavery  north  of 
36°  30'  except  in  Missouri."  This  was  the  rankling 
thorn  in  the  country's  side  for  years.  In  1852  Stephen 
A.  Douglas  proposed  the  Kansas-Nebraska  bill.  It  was 
a  compromise  and  it  settled  nothing.  The  earth  was 
rumbling  then.  In  1861  the  heavens  reverberated  with 
the  thunder  of  artillery.  The  whole  land  was  sodden 
with  tears  and  blood. 

In  religion,  as  in  politics,  compromise  is  an  ever-disturb- 
ing element.  No  man  nor  church,  no  pastor  nor  teacher, 
can  afford  to  split  differences  in  spiritual  things. 

II.   THE   OCCASION  OF  PILATE'S  COWARDICE 

1.  Pilate  was  a  trijler. — He  lived  in  an  age  of  cynicism. 
The  foundations  of  religion  were  broken  up. 

"  On  that  hard  Roman  world,  disgust 
And  stated  loathing  fell  ; 
Deep  wearinegs  and  sated  lust 
Made  human  life  a  hell." 

And  this  man  grew  up  in  it. 

He  had  been  a  soldier.  He  cracked  jokes  around  the 
camp-fire.  He  made  sport  of  gods  and  sacred  things. 
And  now,  facing  the  divine  Truth-giver,  the  irony  of  his 
retort,  ' '  What  is  truth  ? ' '  was  but  the  outcome  of  this 
pernicious  habit. 

Some  trifle  to-day  with  sacred  things,  quoting  Scripture 
in  jest.  College  bo3^s  often  sing  nonsensical  and  laugh- 
able rhymes  to  well  known  sacred  tunes.  We  can  not 
make  light  of  sacred  things  with  impunity. 

2.  Pilate  was  7tot  his  own  man. — He  went  for  advice  to 
the  people,  to  his  wife,  and  to  the  priests.  He  knew  the 
law.  He  had  decided  opinions  just  what  to  do,  but  he 
was  a  coward. 


A    COWARD,  AND    WHAT  BECAME   OF  HIM      307 

Don't  farm  out  your  opinions.  I^et  no  priest,  sanhe- 
drin,  newspaper,  nor  synod  do  your  thinking  for  you. 
"  Let  no  man  take  thy  crown."      "  Quit  you  like  men." 

Have  convidtions.  Own  them.  Defend  them,  come 
what  may.  If  ever  in  doubt,  go  to  the  wise  Counselor: 
"  If  any  lack  wisdom  let  him  ask  of  God." 

3.  Pilate  was  a  sycophant. — The  people  touched  a  raw 
spot  when  they  said  :  "If  thou  let  this  man  go  thou  art 
not  Caesar's  friend."  Tiberius,  a  jealous  tyrant,  owned 
Pilate  body  and  soul.  Should  Pilate  offend  him  he  might 
drop  out  of  the  line  of  promotion.  At  all  hazards,  he 
must  be  Caesar's  friend. 

Soon  after,  however,  Tiberius  was  off  the  throne  and 
Caligula  was  on.  Caligula  said  :  "  Bring  Pilate  to  me." 
He  must  answer  to  the  charges  about  thataquedudl,  that 
Roman  standard,  and  that  murder  at  the  altar  in  Galilee. 
A  little  later  Pilate  was  an  exile  and  a  wanderer.  Tradi- 
tion says  that  he  ended  his  own  life  at  Lake  Lucerne.  As 
the  legend  goes,  once  a  year  a  spedler  rises  from  the  water, 
wringing  its  hands,  as  Pilate  did  when  he  disclaimed 
responsibility  for  Jesus'  death  : 

"  By  God  abhorred,  by  man  despised, 
Shunned  by  the  fiends  below, 
Where  shall  the  wretch,  to  hide  himself, 
And  hide  his  meanness,  go  ?" 

But  bide  a  wee.  There  may  be  moral  cowards  among 
us.  Guthrie  had  this  family  motto,  ' '  Sto  pro  veritate. ' ' 
Let  us  stand  for  the  truth,  the  truth  against  the  world. 
Nothing  better. 

Are  we  not  all  in  a  sense  in  Pilate's  place?  Jesus 
stands  before  us  in  judgment.  What  think  ye  of  Him  ? 
What  will  ye  do  with  Him  ?    Chastise  Him  and  let  Him 


308  A   QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

go  ?  Send  Him  to  Herod?  He'll  come  back.  The  juris- 
didtion  is  ours.  Will  you  mock  Him  with  admiration  of 
His  manhood  and  reje(5l  His  Divine  claim?  Tell  Him  of 
His  heroics  ?  Sentimentalism  counts  nothing  with  him. 
He  is  really  what  He  claimed  to  be  or  He  is  an  imposter. 
He  either  bore  our  sins  on  the  tree  or  the  world  has 
been  deluded  by  Him  all  these  centuries. 

You  and  I  must  say  whether  He  is  our  Christ  or  not. 
It  is  cowardice  to  believe  the  truth  and  not  stand  for  it. 
Out  of  this  moment  may  flow  eternal  issues.  Do  right, 
do  right,  DO  RIGHT,  tho  the  heavens  fall ;  and  God 
bless  you  in  doing  it. 


LXI 
JOAN   OF   ARC 


So  Esther  drew  near,  and  touched  the  top  of  the 
sceptre. 

—Esther  v  :  2. 


I 


N  1429  France  trembled  in  the  balance.  Nobody- 
seemed  to  like  Charles  VII.,  yet  doubtful  sup- 
port was  given  him. 

The  English  army  was  before  the  city  of 
Orleans.  Had  it  surrendered,  history  would  have  been 
changed.  Says  Dr.  Arnold,  "In  all  probability  England 
would  have  become  an  appendage  of  France."  But  God 
holds  the  strings. 

Meanwhile  Joan  was  watching  her  flocks  near  Dom- 
remy,  seeing  visions,  and  hearing  voices  which  said : 
"Go  to  Orleans  and  deliver  it."  She  told  the  parish 
priest.     He  said,  ' '  How  can  a  maid  deliver  Orleans  ?  ' ' 

"I  fear  nothing;  God  will  clear  the  way,"  she  re- 
plied. 

She  traveled  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  through  the 
enemy's  territory  and,  reaching  Captain  Beaudricourt's 
camp,  said  :  "  Gentle  sir,  I  am  Jeanne  la  Chapelle.  God 
has  sent  me  to  relieve  Orleans  and  confirm  thee  on  the 
throne."  She  was  subjected  to  severe  examination,  and 
then  was  provided  with  suitable  white  armor  and  mounted 
on  a  black  horse.     A  banner  was  placed  in  her  hand,  on 

309 


310  A    QUIVER   OF  ARUOWS 

one  side  of  which  was  the  fleur-de-lis  and  on  the  other 
the  word  ^' Jesus.'' ^ 

She  set  forth.  Many  followers  on  the  way  joined  her, 
and  before  reaching  Orleans  she  was  the  head  of  a  large 
army.  One  morning,  awaking  out  of  a  troubled  sleep, 
she  exclaimed  :  "My  God  !  the  blood  of  my  people  red- 
dens the  earth.  Why  was  I  not  aroused  ?  Quick  !  My 
sword,  my  horse,  my  banner  !  " 

The  French  had  already  been  attacked  and  were  being 
worsted.  They  rallied  on  her  appearance  and  Orleans 
was  saved.  Bells  rang  all  night  and  Te  Deums  were 
sung  in  all  the  churches. 

Subsequently  Joan  was  betrayed  into  the  enemy's  hands 
by  her  own  countrymen,  tried,  sentenced  to  death,  and 
burned  at  the  stake  at  Rouen.  Her  last  word  was 
^'  Jesus,''  and  she  finished  her  prayer  in  heaven. 

All  manner  of  fables  have  arisen  about  her  death, 
among  them  that  of  an  English  soldier  who,  hearing  her 
utter  the  word  ' '  Jesus, ' '  declared  that  he  saw  a  white 
dove  escape  from  her  parted  lips. 

Twenty-five  years  afterward  she  was  cleared  of  all 
fault,  and  ever  since  has  been  greatly  revered  by  the 
nation  which  she  saved.  Other  nations  have  shared  in 
this  reverence.  When  the  English  army,  pursuing  Napo- 
leon after  his  defeat,  passed  through  France  with  sword 
and  torch,  it  refrained  from  harming  Domremy. 

The  public  square  in  Rouen,  where  she  suffered  martyr- 
dom, is  marked  by  a  cross  in  the  pavement,  whither 
pilgrims  go  to  honor  her  memory.  After  four  hundred 
years  the  Roman  Catholic  Church  that  sentenced  her  to 
death  is  about  to  place  her  in  the  calendar  of  saints 

The  charges  against  her  were  witchcraft  and  unseemly 
forwardness. 


JOAN  OF  ARC  311 

I.   AS  TO  THE  CHARGE  OF  WITCHCRAFT 

It  rested  upon  the  voices  she  heard.  It  is  not  for  us 
to  say  whether  God  spoke  to  her  in  this  way.  He  speaks 
in  many  ways  : 

1.  By  an  midible  voice. — Abraham  heard  Him,  and  in 
obedience  to  the  summons  left  his  kin  and  country. 

Moses  heard  Him,  and  left  the  wilderness  for  Egj'pt  to 
deliver  God's  captives. 

Elijah  heard  Him,  and  arose  from  His  knees  and  did 
the  greatest  work  of  his  life. 

God  may  or  may  not  speak  to  men  now.  He  never 
spoke  to  me  in  an  audible  voice.  He  maj'  never  have 
spoken  to  you  so  ;  but  it  does  not  follow  that  He  may 
not  do  it  to  others.  We  can  not  set  bounds  to  His 
powers  and  methods  of  communication. 

2.  Through  conscience. — This  is  real.  Voice  is  but 
vibrant  air.  The  soul  vibrates  under  God's  touch,  and 
He  tells  us  of  sin.  He  invites  us  to  a  spiritual  life  in 
this  way  ;  that  is,  if  conscience  is  not  perverted  ;  then  it 
is  a  finger-board  pointing  to  heaven.  But  if  perverted,  it 
points  the  other  way,  and  all  sorts  of  devilish  deeds  have 
been  done  in  its  name. 

3.  In  the  Scriptures. — These  are  the  court  of  last 
appeal.  If  in  doubt  respedling  conscience  it  may  be  veri- 
fied by  consulting  the  Bible.  It  is  the  touchstone  to 
all  thought  and  adlion.  A  man  may  guess  corredtlj-  the 
points  of  the  compass,  but  to  be  certain  he  must  see 
which  way  the  magnetic  needle  points.  Dr.  Holmes  tells 
of  making  a  purchase  and  laying  down  a  bank-note  in 
payment.  The  Scotch  woman  took  down  her  bank-note 
detedlor,  and  then  thrust  back  his  money,  saying  :  ' '  Ah, 
mon,  it  winna  stan'  the  book."  So,  when  all  is  said  and 
done,   the  ultimate  test  is  the  Bible.     If  a  thought  or 


312  A    QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

adlion   "winna  stan'    the  Book,"    that  ends  it.     Con- 
science may  go  wrong,  but  not  the  Book. 

II.  AS  TO  THE  CHARGE  OF  UNSEEMLY  FORWARD- 
NESS 

Was  Joan  justified  in  appearing  in  unwomanly  guise 
when  leading  her  army  into  the  fray  ? 

1.  Home  is  woman's  sphere. — It  is  safe  to  say  that 
the  Maid  of  Orleans  in  camp  and  in  battle  would  fain 
have  been  back  in  the  meadows  of  Domremy  or  spinning 
at  her  mother's  fireside. 

Benjamin  West,  when  a  mere  lad,  rudely  drew  the  pic- 
ture of  his  baby  sister.  His  mother  bent  over  him  and 
kissed  him.  He  said:  "That  kiss  made  me."  Had 
that  mother  been  away  from  home  Benjamin  West  would 
have  been  a  different  man.  "  How  far  yon  little  candle 
throws  its  beams  ! ' ' 

2.  In  society. — This  is  an  important  field  for  women, 
but  how  many  misuse  it.  There  are  young  women  in 
social  life  whose  eyes  are  as  dangerous  as  those  of  a 
basilisk,  whose  locks  are  like  those  of  the  Medusa,  and 
whose  hands  are  as  harpies'  talons.  Woe  to  any  who  are 
ensnared  thereby  !  But,  bless  God,  there  are  others 
whose  speech  is  courtesy  and  whose  hands  are  kindness. 
The  presence  of  Joan  of  Arc  stopped  the  swearing  and 
vulgarity  of  the  rough  soldier. 

3.  hi  the  broader  life  of  the  world. — Circumstances  alter 
cases.  Vashti  refused  to  exhibit  her  charms,  and  pre- 
ferred to  relinquish  regal  honors  rather  than  feed  the 
vulgar  passions  of  wine-bibbers.  But  when  Queen  Esther 
would  save  a  nation  from  extindlion,  she  sacrificed  per- 
sonal preferences  and  ventured  into  the  drunken  feast 
with  her  life  in  her  hand.     There  are  times  when  good 


JOAN  OF  ARC  313 

women  are  constrained  to  make  their  influence  felt  even 
in  the  boisterous  walks  of  secular  life. 

4.  In  the  broadest  field  of  life. — The  Church  of  Jesus 
Christ.  The  age  has  vindicated  woman's  right  to  help 
forward  Christ's  Kingdom  in  waj'S  unknown  to  other 
ages.  She  has  gone  to  work  side  by  side  with  her  breth- 
ren in  the  great  mission  field,  in  the  hospital,  in  the 
Sunday-school,  in  the  great  boards  of  the  Church,  as 
Deborah  went  up  with  Barak  to  Esdraelon. 

One  of  the  largest  adlive  volcanoes  is  in  Hawaii.  At 
night  it  glows  like  a  forest  on  fire.  It  is  associated  with 
the  infernal  gods.  It  was  the  home  of  the  evil  Pelee.  No 
woman  could  set  foot  on  the  mountain  under  penalty  of 
death.  Missionaries  dispelled  the  superstition.  A 
woman,  Kapiolani,  defied  the  goddess.  The  people  ex- 
pecfted  her  to  fall  dead.  She  plucked  berries  from  the 
sacred  tree  of  Pelee  and,  standing  on  the  verge  of  the 
crater,  threw  them  in,  saying,  ' '  I  defy  the  wrath  of  Pelee 
in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ ! ' '  The  spell  was  broken,  and 
superstition  yielded  to  common  sense  and  to  the  claims  of 
Christ.  Woman  is  now  in  the  very  van  of  noble  reforms 
and  in  the  advancement  of  the  Gospel  of  Jesus. 

The  life  of  Joan  of  Arc  was  one  of  entire  consecration 
to  her  mission.  In  this  she  is  an  example  to  all  who 
wish  to  consecrate  themselves  to  a  still  nobler  cause,  the 
noblest  and  best  of  all — the  cause  of  Jesus  of  Nazareth. 


LXII 

CROMWELL 


And  I  said,  This  is  ray  infirmity  :  but  I  will  re- 
member the  years  of  the  right  hand  of  the  most 
High. 

— PSALM  Ixxvii  :  10. 


TX  R.  GuRNALL  quaintly  remarked  of  the  fervor  of 
'^  ,  repentance  that  ' '  The  hound,  when  he  hath 
^^^1  lost  his  scent,  hunts  backward  and  so  recov- 
ers it,  and  pursues  his  game  with  louder  cry 
than  ever. ' ' 

David  was  depressed.  He  saw,  however,  that  this  was 
a  low  view  of  Providence.  He  then  reviewed  God's 
mercies,  and  exclaimed  :  ' '  This  is  my  infirmity:  but  I  will 
remember  the  years  of  the  right  hand  of  the  most  High." 

Three  hundred  years  have  passed  since  the  days  of 
Oliver  Cromwell. 

Cromwell  was  born  in  the  Fen  Country  at  Huntington, 
April  25,  1599.  At  the  time  England  was  burdened 
with  taxes.  Ireland  was  priest-ridden.  Scotland  stood 
for  Christ's  Crown  and  Covenant. 

The  Tudors  were  making  way  for  the  Stuarts,  an  evil 
family.  James  I.  came  from  the  North  Country  to  West- 
minster. Arriving  at  Huntington,  the  royal  cortege  wit- 
nessed a  wrestling-match  on  the  green.  There  is  a  tradi- 
tion that  Oliver  Cromwell,  then  a  lad  of  four  3' ears,  was 
pitted  against  Prince  Charles,  of  corresponding  age,  and 
threw  him.     It  was  ominous  sport.     There  was  many  a 

314 


CROMWELL  315 

bitter  contest  to  come  in  tlie  following  j'ears  before  the 
one  would  throw  the  other — upon  the  headsman's  block. 

Popery  was  struggling  for  supremacy  in  England. 
Black  Bartholomew's  day  still  cast  gloomy  shadows  pro- 
phetic of  what  might  happen  in  L,ondon.  Kegs  of  pow- 
der were  put  under  the  House  of  Parliament  by  Guy 
Fawkes,  but  discovered  in  time  to  prevent  a  fearful  loss 
of  life.  There  was  a  revival  of  the  national  Protestant 
spirit  which  had  crushed  the  Armada  in  Elizabeth's 
reign.  The  King  James  Version  of  the  Scriptures  set- 
tled the  matter.  England  was  henceforth  to  be  Protes- 
tant. 

In  1616  Cromwell  matriculated  at  Cambridge.  Shake- 
speare died  at  this  time  at  Stratford-on-Avon.  This 
marked  the  passing  of  the  Golden  Age  of  literature  to 
make  way  for  the  great  controversy  of  civil  and  ecclesi- 
astical freedom. 

Going  from  Cambridge  to  London,  Cromwell  may  have 
followed  the  crowd  to  Tower  Hill  to  witness  the  execu- 
tion of  Sir  Walter  Raleigh.  He  may  have  seen  him  on 
the  scaffold,  drawing  his  finger  along  the  keen  edge  of  the 
ax  which  was  to  sever  his  head  from  his  body,  with  the 
remark,  "  This  is  a  sharp  medicine,  but  it  cures  all  ills." 
About  this  time  the  Mayflower  sailed  with  a  company  of 
brave  people  bent  upon  civil  and  religious  freedom. 

Cromwell  entered  Parliament  in  1628.  His  first  effort 
was  to  defend  his  constituents  against  the  unjust  claims 
of  the  king.  Then  he  took  a  leading  part  in  the  eccle- 
siastical controversies. 

He  was  reelected  to  Parliament  by  only  one  majority. 
On  what  a  slender  thread  hung  the  future  history  of 
England  and  of  the  world  !  Now  came  the  contest  be- 
tween the  so-called  divine  rights  of  the  king  and  popular 


316  A    QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

rights.  Cromwell  moved  that  the  power  of  the  militia 
should  rest  in  Parliament  and  no  longer  in  the  Crown. 
The  king  sought  to  arrest  the  prime  movers,  but  he  had 
to  flee  from  lyondon,  to  return  to  it  only  to  step  upon  the 
scaffold. 

In  1642  Cromwell  became  a  captain,  and  found  himself 
at  the  head  of  troops  known,  from  their  closely  cropped 
hair,  as  ' '  Roundheads. ' '  He  met  Prince  Rupert  on  Mar- 
ston  Moor.  The  cry  of  the  Roundheads  was  :  ' '  God  with 
us!"  That  of  Prince  Rupert's  men:  "Hey  for  the 
Cavaliers  !  ' '  Five  thousand  Royalists  were  slain  on  that 
day.  The  last  meeting  of  these  two  contestants  was  at 
Naseby,  where  the  Royalists  were  scattered  like  chaff  from 
the  threshing-floor.  The  Scotch  discovered  the  king's 
perfidy,  and  gave  him  up  to  die  on  Tower  Hill. 

It  were  well  if  Cromwell's  history  had  ended  here.  His 
deeds  in  Ireland  and  Scotland  dim  the  luster  of  the  other- 
wise untarnished  metal  of  his  charadler. 

It  was  a  dark  day  when  he  swept  through  the  streets 
of  Worcester  to  the  fierce  music  of  the  imprecatory 
psalms.  Prince  Charles  looked  on  from  the  cathedral 
spire,  and  seeing  his  forces  defeated,  fled  to  Normandy. 
It  is  true  that  he  came  back  again  with  waving  banners, 
but  only  after  Oliver  Cromwell  had  passed  away. 

Cromwell  returned  to  London  after  these  campaigns 
and  was  received  with  acclamations  of  welcome. 

The  Rump  Parliament  was  then  in  session.  But  he 
turned  the  members  out  and  put  the  keys  in  his  pocket. 

That  was  the  end  of  the  English  commonwealth. 
There  was  no  authority  but  Cromwell's.  He,  however, 
declined  the  offer  of  the  crown,  saying:  "I  have  the 
thing,  what  care  I  for  the  name  ?  ' ' 

Cromwell  died  in   1658.     His  last  words  were  :    "  O 


CROMWELL  317 

Lord,  I  am  a  miserable  sinner,  but  I  am  in  covenant  with 
thee,  and  thou  wilt  not  leave  me."  His  work  fell  to 
pieces.  Charles  came  from  over  the  sea.  Cromwell's 
body  was  taken  from  Westminster  Abbey,  and  his  skull 
was  afl5xed  to  the  archway  of  Westminster  Hall.  But 
such  men  never  die. 

What  have  been  the  developments  of  the  three  hun- 
dred 3^ears  since  then  ? 

I.   WE   OBSERVE  A   NEW  IDEAL  OF  CHARACTER 

We  should  not  judge  Cromwell  by  our  modern 
standards. 

If  President  Roosevelt  should  enter  Congress  and  dis- 
solve it  with  a  word,  take  command  of  an  army  and 
march  through  Georgia  to  vindicate  the  rights  of  the 
colored  people,  eje(5l  all  the  ministers  from  their  pulpits 
who  did  not  agree  with  him,  and  usurp  all  the  funcflions 
of  the  legislative,  judicial,  and  executive  departments  of 
the  government,  he  would  do  very  much  as  Cromwell 
did.  Such  a  measure  can  find  justification  only  in  the 
exigencies  of  the  case  and  the  demand  of  the  times. 

There  was  perhaps  little  cause  for  sending  over  two 
shiploads  of  Covenanters  to  Massachusetts  to  be  sold  into 
slaver3^  Condudl  like  this  was  unworthy  of  the  man 
and  hardly  up  the  requirements  of  these  days.  Were 
Cromwell  living  to-day  he  would  not  do  as  he  did  then. 

II.   WE   OBSERVE   A   NEW  WORLD 

In  Cromwell's  time  Holland  was  the  greatest  nation. 
It  was  the  center  of  universal  industrj-.  There  the  con- 
test for  civil  and  ecclesiastical  freedom  had  been  fought 
to  a  finish,  and  liberty  had  won  an  absolute  vidlory.  It 
was  a  safe  refuge  for  the  oppressed  of  other  nations. 


318  A    QUIVER   OF  ARJiOyVS 

Spain  was  Holland's  rival.  It  was  a  nation  of  adven- 
turous navigators. 

England,  a  little  island,  the  size  of  the  State  of  New 
York,  began  its  career  as  a  nation  of  importance  with 
Cromwell.  Her  industries  were  planted  and  nourished 
by  a  proscriptive  tariff.  Admiral  Blake  made  the  way 
for  the  nations  to  trade  with  her.  She  became  supreme 
on  the  seas  and  continues  that  supremacy. 

Holland  is  now  a  fourth-rate  power.  Spain  is  a  cipher 
in  the  industry  and  politics  of  the  world.  England's 
rivals  now  are  Russia,  Germany,  France,  Japan,  and 
America.     The  world  is  larger  than  it  was. 

III.  WE  OBSERVE  THE  IMPORTANCE  OF  THE 
PEOPLE 

There  were  no  people  in  those  days.  They  were  mere 
flies — earthworms.  Cromwell  assumed  to  be  the  defender 
of  popular  rights,  but  he  was  not  chosen  by  the  people  to 
represent  them,  as  John  Carver  was  in  that  modest  cabin 
of  the  ship  that  sailed  from  Delft  Haven.  The  French 
revolution  had  not  yet  come.  Burns  had  not  sung,  "A 
man's  a  man  for  a'  that."  Independence  Hall  afterward 
rang  out  the  awakening  ambition,  "All  men  are  born 
free  and  equal  and  with  certain  inalienable  rights. ' ' 

IV.  WE   OBSERVE   A  NEW  CONCEPTION  OF  THE 
CHURCH 

Three  hundred  years  ago  the  Church's  watchword  was 
' '  Uniformity. ' '  There  was  no  room  for  both  Roman 
Catholicism  and  Protestantism.  One  of  these  must  die  the 
death.  The  pope  wished  all  to  be  Catholics.  Archbishop 
I^aud  wished  all  to  be  Episcopalians.  Scotland  wanted  all 
to  be  Presbyterians.     And  Cromwell  set  himself  against 


CROMWELL  319 

Pope,  Prelacy,  and  Presbyterians,  and  wanted  all  to  be 
Independents. 

Some  would  have  all  Christians  of  one  denomination 
to-day,  but  that  would  be  to  go  back  three  centuries. 
The  best  interests  of  Christ's  kingdom  are  conserved  by 
freedom  of  denominations  to  enter  into  a  friendly  comity 
and  cooperation  for  the  saving  of  the  world  from  sin. 
The  best  unity  is  the  unity  of  the  spirit  and  not  the  unity 
of  polity. 

V.   WE  OBSERVE  A   NEW  VIEW  OF  THE  RELATION 
OF  CHURCH   AND   STATE 

Three  centuries  ago  it  was  supposed  that  the  Church 
could  not  exist  without  the  State. 

German  universities  have  been  and  are  now  the  hot- 
beds of  infidelity.  Why  ?  Because  the  ' '  War  Lord, ' '  as  the 
head  of  the  national  Church,  has  full  power  of  appoint- 
ment to  all  chairs  of  religious  instrudlion.  The  English 
Establishment  also  has  been  the  prolific  mother  of 
abominations.  This  union  of  Church  and  State  is  against 
nature. 

VI.   WE   OBSERVE  THE  FIELD  OF  ACTION  HAS 
CHANGED 

In  Cromwell's  time  all  questions  were  settled  by  the 
sword. 

The  Reformation  was  a  battle  of  a  hundred  years,  in 
which  the  whole  world  was  embroiled.  Thank  God,  we 
are  breaking  away  from  such  conflidl !  War  is  horrible 
at  best,  and  war  continues  to-day,  but  over  political 
rather  than  religious  differences ;  it  is,  therefore,  more 
humane.  Never  was  a  more  righteous  war  than  ours 
with  Spain,  yet  how  reludlantly  we  entered  upon  it,  and 


320 


A    QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 


how  honorably  we  waged  it  !  When  war  is  deemed 
necessary  it  must  be  condudted  according  to  the  Code  of 
Nations.  In  Cromwell's  time  international  law  was  in 
its  infancy.  He  advanced  its  principles  greatly  by  stand- 
ing for  a  nation's  right  of  interference,  in  the  cause  of 
humanity,  in  foreign  politics.  He  thus  interposed  the 
egis  of  England  between  the  Waldenses  and  their  per- 
secutors, the  House  of  Savoy.  It  is  now  time  for  another 
.step  forward.  We  should  work  for  the  cause  of  compul- 
sory arbitration  of  all  national  differences. 

Christ's  Kingdom  can  not  be  propagated  by  the  sword. 
The  Roundheads  said,  "Go  fight."  Christ  says,  "Go 
preach. ' '  His  army  is  made  up  of  the  bravest  people  in 
the  world.  They  are  braver  than  the  Roundheads,  braver 
than  the  Covenanters,  braver  than  the  Huguenots,  braver 
than  the  Beggars  of  Holland.  They  come  from  all  quar- 
ters and  are  at  the  front.  They  climb  mountains,  not  as 
Napoleon's  troops  climbed  the  Alps  with  great  guns. 
They  cross  plains,  not  as  the  Roundheads  crossed  the 
moors  of  Scotland  with  crossbows  and  culverins.  They  go 
with  the  evangel,  they  are  the  vanguard  of  civilization. 
They  bring  in  the  nations  as  prisoners  of  hope.  They 
are  heralds  of  the  coming  of  Christ. 

How  have  the  times  changed  in  these  three  hundred 
years  !  When  Cromwell  lived  there  were  a  hundred  mil- 
lions of  nominal  Christians  ;  now  there  are  five  hundred 
millions.  Who  shall  lift  the  veil  of  the  century  just 
born? 

Everything  is  going  right.  When  the  smoke  of  war  is 
blown  away  we  shall  see  clearer,  and  rejoice  in  the 
achievement  of  wonderful  things  for  Him  whom  we  wor- 
ship as  the  King  of  Kings  and  I^ord  of  Lords. 


ETHICAL    SERMONS 


LXIII 
THE   ASCENT   OF   MAN 

I  will  make  a  man  more  precious  than  fine  gold; 
even  a  man  than  the  golden  wedge  of  Ophir. 
—Isaiah  xiii :  12. 

'T^  JHis  was  Spoken  in  respedl  to  the  fall  of  Babylon. 
^_VJ  Babylon  stands  for  world-power,  wealth,  and 

^^P      arrogance  ;  for  carnal  pleasures  and  selfish  pur- 
suits ;  for  fleets  and  armies ;  for  the  subordi- 
nation of  the  people  to  princes. 

The  overthrow  of  Babylon  stands  for  the  restitution  of 
all  things,  the  ushering  in  of  the  Golden  Age.  Then 
man  will  be  estimated  at  his  true  value. 

The  Bible  is  very  definite  as  to  three  points: 

I.    MAN'S  ORIGIN 

' '  Let  us  make  man  in  our  image. '  * 

Set  over  against  this  the  statement  of  Charles  Darwin  : 
' '  Man  is  descended  from  a  hairy  quadruped,  arboreal  in 
its  habits. ' ' 

If  Darwin  is  right,  man  is  the  produdl  of  insensate 
laws  a(5ting  on  dead  atoms  ;  the  last  outgrowth  of  a  pedi- 
gree of  beastly  ancestors  ;  the  sum  total  of  environment 
air,  food,  water,  nurses,  physicians,  associations,  and 
culture. 

Thomas  Carlj^le  says  :  "I  have  known  three  genera- 
tions of  the  Darwins,  grandfather,  father,  and  son — 
atheists  all.     It  is  related  that  among  the  grandfather's 

323 


324  A    QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

eflfedls  was  found  a  seal  engraven  with  this  legend : 
'  Omnia  ex  conchis'  (everything  from  a  clam-shell).  A 
good  sort  of  man,  this  Darwin,  and  well  meaning,  but  with 
very  little  intelledt.  Ah  !  it  is  a  sad  and  terrible  thing 
to  see  a  whole  generation  of  men  and  women,  professing 
to  be  cultured,  looking  around  in  a  purblind  fashion  and 
finding  no  God  in  the  universe.  I  suppose  it  is  the 
readtion  from  the  reign  of  cant.  And  this  is  what  we 
have  got  to.  All  things  from  frog  spawn  !  The  gospel 
of  dirt  the  order  of  the  day." 

We  have  to  choose,  then,  between  two  definitions  of 
man — God's  and  man's. 

A  triple  inheritance  comes  to  us  through  the  Divine 
definition: 

1.  Mind. — Not  simply  that  faculty  of  perception  and 
calculation  by  which  the  fox,  for  example,  can  measure 
the  brook  he  leaps  over,  but  the  faculty  by  which  we 
confront  the  great  verities  and  problems  of  the  endless 
Hfe. 

2.  Conscience. — By  this  we  determine  between  right 
and  wrong  ;  or,  as  Plato  says,  ' '  discern  between  the 
worse  and  the  better  reason."  It  involves  the  question 
of  responsibility,  our  relation  to  God. 

3.  Will. — This  is  independent.  Man  has  the  power 
of  choice. 

It  is  common  in  these  days  to  speak  of  ' '  the  reign  of 
law."  All  things  in  the  universe  are  under  the  reign  of 
law.  The  crystal,  the  stars,  the  flowers,  the  birds — all 
obey  the  laws  of  their  being.  Nowhere  do  you  find  dis- 
obedience till  you  come  to  man.  This  is  the  source  of 
all  his  miseries,  for  his  choice  of  will  lies  in  the  way  of 
wilfulness.  But  we  find  in  all  this  kinship  with  God,  for 
He  possesses  the  power  to  do  or  not  to  do  as  He  pleases. 


THE  ASCENT  OF  POWER  325 

II.   MAN'S   DESTINY 

The  immortality  of  the  soul  is  the  fundamental  postu- 
late on  which  the  whole  fabric  of  Scripture  rests.  If  the 
soul  is  not  immortal  this  volume  is  as  meaningless  as  the 
last  year's  almanac. 

God  breathed  into  man  the  breath  of  life.  What  be- 
comes of  it  ?  Can  death  destroy  it  ?  A  mere  tyro  in 
science  will  tell  you  that  even  so  slender  a  force  as  a 
zephyr  can  never  cease  to  be.  The  soul  still  lives  some- 
where, and  is  destined  to  live  forever. 

The  divineness  in  man  counts  for  much.  The  red- 
faced,  filthy,  ragged,  polluted,  flesh-sodden  drunkard  in 
the  ditch,  the  flies  buzzing  about  him,  has  been  known  to 
rise  from  this  degrading  state,  enter  into  conflict  with  his 
passions,  and  succeed  in  achieving  a  noble  vic5lory.  Not 
so  do  the  swine  return  from  their  wallows  or  dogs  from 
their  vomit. 

And  what  about  those  apocalyptic  visions?  On  the 
one  hand  j^ou  see  an  open  door,  and  through  it  hear  the 
curses  and  sobs  of  despair. 

On  the  other  hand  another  open  door,  and  through  it 
enrapturing  music  breaks  upon  your  ear.  Supreme  happi- 
ness charadterizes  those  white-robed  people  who  are  said 
to  have  come  out  of  great  tribulation. 

III.   LIGHT  THROWN   UPON   MAN'S   HISTORY 

The  ultimate  fulfilment  of  man's  destiny  is  written  in 
two  chapters  : 

I.  The  Fall. — Some  time  after  the  creation  of  man  a 
calamitous  factor  came  into  the  problem  of  his  life — to 
wit,  SIN.  He  was  turned  out  of  Kden.  The  earth 
which  he  is  compelled  to  till  is  cursed  for  his  sake. 
Groans  and  weariness  naturally  follow,  as  do  also  wars 


326  A    QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

and  confusions  and  blood  and  bitter  wailings.  Ay  ! 
something  has  happened.     Behold  the  magnificent  ruin  ! 

2.  The  Restoration. — In  the  midst  of  this  desolation 
and  death  the  Cross  rises  as  a  great  rock  out  of  the  sea 
to  which  the  shipwrecked  may  cling  for  safety  against 
the  angry  waves,  and  from  which  the  word  goes  forth, 
' '  I  will  make  a  man  more  precious  than  fine  gold  ;  even 
a  man  than  the  golden  wedge  of  Ophir. ' ' 

There  can  be  no  restoration  till  the  debris  be  gotten 
out  of  the  way.  Clear  away  the  ruins  ;  then  build  on 
the  foundation  that  is  laid  Christ  Jesus,  the  rock  of  our 
salvation. 

The  same  spirit  that  breathed  into  man  the  breath  of 
life  can  breathe  into  him  the  breath  of  the  new  life. 

I^et  all  this  be  applied  : 

1.  Know  thyself  as  to  origin  and  destiny. — As  a  child  of 
God.  The  shield  of  lyUther  bore  on  one  side  two  ham- 
mers, the  token  of  his  father's  handicraft;  on  the  obverse 
a  winged  heart  with  the  legend,  ''  Astra  petimus'^  (We 
seek  the  stars).  Bind  a  man  down  to  the  workshop, 
but  never  in  such  a  manner  that  he  may  not  realize  the 
responsibility  of  vaster,  nobler  tasks.     And 

2.  Know  thy  neighbor. — Know  him  as  a  child  of  God. 
Know  him  in  the  light  of  the  value  God  places  upon  him 
and  the  destiny  he  is  to  fulfil.  This  is  a  value  that  far 
transcends  the  most  precious  things  known  to  mankind  ; 
for  we  are  redeemed  not  with  precious  gold  and  all  that 
that  stands  for,  but  with  the  precious  blood  of  Christ. 
It  is  a  destiny  involving  an  eternity  of  freedom  from  all 
the  ills  of  earth  and  an  enjoyment  in  heaven  as  endless 
as  it  is  glorious. 


^m 


LXIV 
WASTE   OF   POWER 

But  truly  I  am  full  of  power  by  the  spirit  of  the 
lyord. 

— MiCAH  iii :  8. 

ICAH  was  not  an  egotist.     The  power  he  speaks 
of  is  not  his,  but  God's.     It  was  so  with  Paul 
when  he  said  :   "I  can  do  all  things  through 
Christ,  which  strengtheneth  me." 
The  text  suggests  dynamics  : 

I.    MATERIAL  POWER 

God  is  the  source  of  it.    ' '  Power  belongeth  unto  God. ' ' 

1.  His  power  is  immeasurable. — "  Canst  thou  bind  the 
sweet  influences  of  the  Pleiades  or  loose  the  bands  of 
Orion  ? ' '  Not  all  the  athletes  put  together,  with  all  their 
mighty  pulleys  and  engines,  can  move  a  single  planet 
from  its  orbit  a  hair's  breadth  ;  yet  God  is  pushing  the 
innumerable  orbs  in  their  appointed  spheres  through 
infinite  space  with  ease. 

2.  His  power  is  ijicxhaustiblc. — He  is  constantly  giving 
out,  like  the  sun,  )^et  "  giving  doth  not  impoverish  Him, 
nor  withholding,  enrich  Him."  Science  saj^s  that  the 
sun  is  burning  up,  the  incandescent  mass  shining  through 
its  photosphere  furnishes  all  our  heat  and  light,  and  that 
its  surface,  to  the  depth  of  fourteen  miles,  is  consumed 
annually.  It  may  be  utterl}'  consumed  in  time;  but  being 
a  million  and  a  half  times  larger  than  our  earth,  it  will  last 
for   some   millions  of  eons.     Were  all  the  suns  in  the 

327 


328  A    QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

sidereal  system  blotted  out  there  is  back  of  them  the  om- 
nipotent Source  of  all. 

3.  Man  derives  his  power  from  God. — Man,  therefore, 
is  but  an  agent,  not  a  sovereign.  The  Romans  were  mis- 
taken when  they  said  that  man  is  himself  a  power.  To 
be  sure,  he  is  lord  of  the  natural  forces,  and,  as  is  said  in 
Genesis,  he  has  dominion  over  the  lower  orders  of  life, 
but  he  stops  short  of  creation.  Not  an  atom  can  he 
make.  The  most  that  he  can  do  is  to  transmute  one 
kind  of  power  into  another  and  make  indefinite  applica- 
tions of  it.  Franklin  did  not  make  a  volt  of  eledtricity, 
nor  Watt  an  atom  of  steam  ;  they  only  harnessed  the 
energy  of  these  elements  and  adjusted  them  to  useful 
purposes. 

But  it  is  not  so  much  of  mechanics  we  are  called  upon 
to  speak  so  much  as 

II.   MORAL   POWER 

Moral  power  is  transmutable  into  virtue,  charadter, 
and  usefulness.  The  humblest  individual  is  a  reservoir 
of  moral  energy. 

This  energy  can  not  be  measured.  Physical  strength  can 
be  measured,  the  striking  power  of  our  biceps  muscle, 
the  lifting  power  of  back  and  limb,  but  there  is  a  vast 
difierence  between  moral  and  material  power.  The  unit 
of  measurement  in  mechanics  is  horse-power.  The  potency 
of  an  engine  can  be  determined  to  a  fradlion.  But  no 
dynamometer  has  ever  been  invented  to  measure  the 
moral  power  of  man. 

It  is  a  fair  question  to  ask  :  What  becomes  of  the  vast 
deposit  of  moral  energy  f 

I .  The  major  part  of  it  is  latent. — A  man  is  like  a  fadlory 
adjusted  to  work — wheels,  belts,  and  pulleys  all  in  place, 


WASTE  OF  POWER  329 

fire  in  the  furnaces,  the  vast  machinery  in  motion,  but 
turning  out  no  grist.  Or  he  is  like  Niagara,  which  they 
say  has  power  enough  to  operate  all  the  industries  of  the 
country,  but  it  rolls  on  in  furious  indolence.  Or  he  is 
like  the  flurry  of  snow  which  the  scientists  say  is  pos- 
sessed of  immeasurable  potency,  j^et  workmen  shovel  it 
into  carts  to  be  cast  away.  What  a  waste  of  power  there 
is  in  this  dormancy  !  And  what  a  reckoning  at  the  last 
day  there  must  be,  for  power  to  the  last  atom  is  respon- 
sibility ! 

2.  The  modicum  of  power  put  forth  m  large  pari  goes  to 
waste. — It  is  wasted  in  fret  and  worry  ;  in  bearing  need- 
less burdens  ;  in  dreams  and  visions ;  in  vain  specula- 
tions ;  in  letting  down  empty  buckets  into  empty  wells 
and  drawing  nothing  up  ;  in  building  castles  in  the  air. 

Worse  still,  much  energy  is  wasted  on  vice.  All  sin  is 
vice,  and  vice  is  always  waste.  The  gamblers  and  wine- 
bibbers  and  debauchees  are  not  the  only  ones  who  con- 
sume themselves.  All  are  guilty,  according  to  the  meas- 
ure of  our  indulgence.  lyUst  of  the  flesh.  Lust  of  the 
eyes.     The  pride  of  life.     Prodigals  all  ! 

Energy  is  also  wasted  in  misdiredlion. 

Some  are  in  pursuit  of  pleasure,  some  of  wealth,  some 
of  fame,  but  death  unloads  all.  What,  then,  of  their 
possessions?  What  a  useless  expenditure  of  energj'  ; 
energy,  if  diredled  aright,  might  have  resulted  in  abid- 
ing blessedness.  "What  do  I  think  of  Victoria?  "  said 
a  champion  of  the  ring  on  the  day  of  her  death.  "I 
think  she  wore  a  crown  she  never  won.  But  look  at  my 
belt.  1  won  that  by  hard  knocks,  and  it  is  mine. ' '  But 
both  alike  are  baubles  in  the  light  of  eternity.  The 
crown  and  the  belt  are  both  left  behind,  and  both  queen 
and  pugilist  must  appear  as  they  are  before  the  just  God. 


330  A    QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

3.  Bui  a  small  portion  of  energy  remains  for  profitable 
use. — The  things  worth  doing  are  three  : 

{a)  The  building  of  charadler.  This  means  constant 
care  and  attention  in  the  Hne  of  self-culture. 

{¥)  Doing  good  as  opportunity  offers.  In  1862  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac  lay  in  camp  at  Fair  Oaks,  within 
six  miles  of  the  Confederate  capital,  and  for  months  the 
soldiers  spent  their  time  in  digging  trenches  and  parading 
instead  of  making  the  best  of  their  opportunity  to  take 
Richmond.  Too  often  we  have  let  grand  opportunities 
pass,  and  the  good  we  might  have  done  was  left  undone. 
Citadels  might  have  been  taken  for  God. 

if)  Glorifying  God.  The  Brahmans  say  that  God 
alone  is  real,  all  things  else  being  maya,  or  illusion. 
And  man's  highest  hope  is  to  attain  to  Nirvana — that  is, 
absorption  in  the  ineffable  One,  as  the  perfume  of  the 
lotus  flower  is  exhaled  and  dissipated  in  the  air,  or  as  a 
drop  of  water  falls  and  loses  itself  in  the  sea. 

It  is  true  that  God  is  our  destiny,  and  that  our  supreme 
hope  is  to  return  to  Him,  but  not  to  lose  our  identity. 
We  shall  retain  that,  and  ever  grow  in  knowledge,  in- 
fluence, and  power.  The  improved  talents  entrusted  to 
us  here  shall  be  multiplied  to  us  hereafter,  and  by  so 
much  we  shall  glorify  our  God  the  more. 

Is  it  not,  then,  appalling  to  refledl,  considering  our 
endowments  and  opportunities,  that  so  little  energy  is  ex- 
pended in  the  right  diredlion  and  so  much  goes  to  waste  ? 

Let  us  put  ourselves  in  a  right  attitude  toward  God, 
remembering  that  we  are  not  makers  of  power,  only 
manipulators  of  it,  and  responsible  for  the  use  we  make 
of  it.  The  vital  contadt  with  God  is  Calvary.  It  is  only 
by  that  that  we  can  truly  glorify  God. 


LXV 

THE   SECRET    OF  POWER 

Tell  me,  I  pray  thee,  wherein  thy  great  strength 
lieth. 

—Judges  xvi :  6. 


^TT^  HERE   are   no   accidents  in   history.      Time   and 
*    I        eternity  are  warp  and  woof.    Causes  and  events 
JM^ail       blend  as  colors. 

The  Church  wanes.     God  wants  a  man,  and 
the  Monk  of  Wittenberg  appears. 

The  tocsin  of  St.  Bartholomew's  appeals  to  Heaven,  and 
afar  in  the  Netherlands  the  silent  man  comes  to  view. 

Over-populated  Europe  needs  more  room,  and  Colum- 
bus sets  sail  to  find  the  new  world. 

The  glory  departs  from  Israel,  and  Samson  is  the  man 
needed. 
Observe  : 

I.    THE   SECRET  OF  POWER 

Samson's  mission  was  indicated  at  his  birth:  "He 
should  begin  to  deliver  Israel."  He  was  a  Nazarite, 
therefore  called  to  special  tasks.  Nazarites  were  pledged 
to  self-abnegation,  to  down  every  personal  feeling  and 
ambition.  They  were  total  abstainers ;  they  observed 
the  Levitical  law  ;  thej^  must  not  kiss  the  lips  of  a  dead 
mother,  for  instance,  lest  they  be  defiled  ;  they  must  not 
mourn  at  her  grave,  lest  they  compromise  their  vow. 
The  badge  of  this  austere  brotherhood  was  their  long 
hair  braided  into  seven  locks. 

331 


332  A    QUIVER   OF  ARROIVS 

Notice : 

1.  Samson's  physical  power. — It  was  a  supernatural 
gift.  His  muscles  were  like  twisted  cords.  In  his  youth 
he  met  a  lion  and  rent  its  jaws  with  ease.  Afterward, 
single  handed,  he  slew  a  thousand  Philistines.  Still  later 
he  carried  oflF  the  gates  of  Gaza  to  the  hilltop  as  a 
feather-weight. 

2.  Samson'' s  spiritual  power. — It  is  written  that  "the 
spirit  of  the  Lord  strove  with  him. ' '  In  the  home  his 
mother  would  way,  ' '  My  son,  be  faithful  to  the  task 
which  the  Lord  hath  ordained  for  thee." 

He  sat  upon  his  father's  knee  and  heard  of  Jephthah's 
expeditions  among  the  villages  from  Aroer  to  Minnith. 

Mark,  he  was  not  to  deliver  Israel;  only  to  begin  to  do 
that,  as  John  Brown,  of  Osawatomie,  began  to  deliver  the 
Southern  slave ;  as  Arnold  von  Winkelried,  at  mortal 
peril  to  himself,  opened  the  ranks  of  the  enemy.  Samson 
had  a  mission. 

The  strong  man  always  has  a  mission,  Saul,  for  in- 
stance. He  was  an  inquisitor  up  to  the  time  of  his 
conversion.  After  that,  a  preacher  of  power  with  a  fiery 
zeal  for  souls. 

II.   THE  LOSS  OF  POWER 

It  was  gradual.  The  eclipse  is  not  an  instant  veiling 
of  brightness.  So  with  the  enfeeblement  of  a  strong 
man. 

Samson  was  bewitched  with  a  fair  face.  "She  pleas- 
eth  me  well. ' '  Her  beguilements  were  woven  about  him 
like  the  bands  of  Gulliver  in  LiHiput. 

It  is  alwaj^s  perilous  to  trifle  with  sin. 

The  messenger  boy  sent  post-haste  trifles  when  he  lin- 
gers to  look  at  lads  in  a  fascinating  game.     The  man 


THE  SECRET  OF  POWER  333 

with  a  Divine  message  trifles  when  turned  aside  by  pass- 
ing pleasures  or  offers  of  gain. 

Samson  laid  his  head  in  the  temptress's  lap.  Delilah 
said,  "  Tell  me  wherein  thy  great  strength  lieth." 

"Bind  me  with  seven  green  withes,"  but  he  broke 
them.  "  Bind  me  with  new  ropes  that  never  were  used," 
but  he  snapped  them  like  cotton  thread.  "Weave  my 
seven  braids  with  the  web,"  but  he  walked  off  with 
both  web  and  beam, 

"  Cut  off  my  locks."  Ah  !  there  was  the  secret.  He 
was  shorn,  and  with  the  falling  braids  went  his  strength. 
God  departed  from  him,  '  *  He  wist  not. ' '  Oh,  the  sorrow 
of  it  !  Insidious  disease  gives  no  pain.  So  habit  creeps 
and  holds  as  with  the  grip  of  steel.  The  fine  edge  of 
conscience  is  worn  off.  These  are  the  ominous  signs  of 
spiritual  declension.     Coquet  with  sin  and  power  goes. 

III.   THE  RECOVERY  OF   POWER 

The  strong  man's  eyes  were  put  out.  He  sat  grinding 
at  the  mill,  a  miserable  captive.  Temptation  no  longer 
enters  at  eye-gate.     He  bemoans  his  loss. 

But  bide  a  wee  !  His  hair  is  growing.  The  Philis- 
tines in  great  numbers  assemble  at  the  festival  of  Dagon 
to  offer  sacrifice.  He  bears  their  mockery  in  silence. 
But  he  is  thinking  of  the  vow  of  consecration ;  the 
paj^ment  of  his  vow  is  at  hand.  His  hour  has  come. 
He  gropes  for  the  pillars  of  the  temple,  and  the  huge 
edifice  falls  with  a  crash.  Thousands  perish  in  the 
debris. 

Here  is  our  lesson.  The  secret  of  a  successful  life  is 
in  the  consecration  of  energy  to  one's  mission,  A  tallow 
candle  can  not  be  thrown  through  the  curtain  of  a  tent, 
but  it  can  be  shot  through  an  oaken  plank.     The  reason 


334  A    QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

is  the  concentration  of  power.  No  arrow  is  wasted  tliat 
speeds  toward  the  mark. 

Allan  Gardiner,  a  young  Englishman,  was  moved  to 
carry  the  Gospel  to  Tierra  del  Fuego.  He  was  beaten 
back  again  and  again.  At  length,  after  all  his  compan- 
ions had  died,  he  himself  lay  dying  in  the  shadow  of  a 
torn  sail.  He  was  supremely  happy  in  his  last  moments, 
tho  not  a  soul  had  been  given  him.  But  he  had  made  a 
beginning,  and  thousands  of  native  converts  afterward 
told  of  success  out  of  apparent  failure.  No  such  lives 
are  wasted. 

If  power  has  been  squandered,  squander  it  no  longer. 
Use  it  for  Christ.  Renew  your  strength  at  the  throne  of 
grace  and  be  a  power  for  good. 


SOCIOLOGICAL    SERMONS 


LXVI 
THE   CHURCH   AND   THE   SALOON 

For  what  fellowship  hath  righteousness  with 
unrighteousness?  and  what  communion  hath 
light  with  darkness?  And  what  concord  hath 
Christ  with  Belial  ? 

— II.  Corinthians  vi :  14,  15. 


^T^  HE  temperance  reform    in  this  country  is  not   a 

*^    I        century   old.     In    1825    the    use    of    distilled 

^^M       spirits  was  seven    and    one-half   gallons  per 

capita. 

Alarming  !  Something  must  be  done.   ' '  Moral  suasion  ' ' 

was  started.     This  developed  into  total  abstinence  and 

other  societies,  both  legal  and  persuasive.     The/^r  capita 

of  liquor  now  consumed  is  two  gallons. 

Just  now  the  question  touches  the  relation  of  the 
Church  to  the  saloon. 

Here  are  two  forces  :  the  one  is  good,  the  other  is  bad. 

I.  AS  TO  THE   CHURCH 

The  Greek  word  for  church  is  ekklesia  ;  that  is,  "called 
out,"  an  association  of  persons  called  out  of  the  world 
for  the  service  of  God. 

1.  It  is  a  holy  club . — Not  a  holier-than-thou  club.  It  is 
a  club  of  sinners,  only  they  are  sinners  saved  by  grace. 

2.  //  is  not  a  social  coterie. — True,  the  best  people  are 
in  it,  the  real  aristoi.  Not  good  so  much  as  desiring  to 
be  so  and  trying  to  be  so. 

337 


338  A  QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

The  social  advantages  are  merely  incidental  to  its  prime 
purpose. 

3.  //  is  not  a  company  of  truth- seekers. — They  have 
found  \xviih.     It  is  in  the  Bible.     Creeds  are  good,  but 

good  only  as  they  corredlly  represent  the  Bible. 

4.  //  is  not  an  ethical  society . — It  does  not  cast  about  for 
a  system  of  morals.  The  Word  of  God  contains  that. 
Lives  must  be  adjusted  to  the  summary  of  duty  found 
there. 

5.  //  is  a  great  living  org  autism. — God  works  through 
it  for  the  tearing  down  of  the  bad  and  the  building  up  of 
the  good. 

The  emblems  of  the  work  are  the  sword  and  trowel. 

The  sword  is  used  to  make  war  on  iniquity — to  cut  it 
down,  to  overthrow  it.  Christ  came  into  the  world  to 
destroy  the  works  of  the  devil.  He,  as  Captain,  com- 
mands us  to  do  the  same  thing. 

The  trowel  is  used  to  build  up.  The  mason  prepares 
the  stone  for  his  building.  He  lays  stone  upon  stone. 
So  we  are  to  build  a  spiritual  temple  fit  for  the  Holy 
Spirit  to  dwell  in. 

Thus  with  sword  and  trowel  we  clear  the  way  and  rear 
the  strudture  of  the  Kingdom  of  God. 

II.   AS  TO  THE   SALOON 

A  definition  of  a  saloon  must  be  an  indidlment.  It  is 
the  focal  expression  of  almost  every  evil. 

I.  It  is  the  enemy  of  man. — It  bloats  his  visage,  red- 
dens his  eyes,  seethes  his  flesh,  and  makes  a  cesspool  and 
common  sewer  of  the  body.  It  corrupts  his  heart,  en- 
feebles his  will,  paralyzes  his  conscience,  and  sends  him 
reeling  into  the  darkness  from  which  a  voice  returns; 
' '  No  drunkard  shall  inherit  the  Kingdom  of  God. ' ' 


THE   CHURCH  AND    THE  SALOON  339 

2.  //  is  the  e7iemy  of  the  home. — It  puts  out  the  fire  on 
the  hearth,  empties  the  barrel  and  the  cruse,  transforms 
the  proted;or  of  the  family  into  a  fiend  incarnate,  clothes 
the  wife  in  rags,  and  dooms  innocent  children  to  suffer- 
ing and  shame. 

3.  //  is  the  enemy  of  the  state. — In  the  last  eledlion  in 
New  York  City  scores  of  men  staggered  to  the  polling- 
places.  Saloons  were  open  and  thronged  to  the  very 
doors.  Here  is  the  Gibraltar  of  politics.  Here  the  thugs 
and  repeaters  congregate.  Here  is  the  ditch  of  misrule. 
Here  is  the  market  of  the  purchasable  vote. 

The  saloon  is  a  menace  to  civil  government.  We  shall 
have  reform  only  when  we  summarily  deal  with  it.  If 
ever  the  republic  should  follow  the  ruined  nations  of  the 
past,  it  will  be  on  account  of  the  saloon. 

4.  //  is  the  eiiemy  of  the  Church. — This  is  the  impassable 
wall  between  the  soul  and  Calvary.  It  engenders  bitter 
hatred  for  the  things  that  are  true  and  lovely  and  of  good 
report.  The  red  dragon  guarded  the  gates  of  the  Hes- 
perides  ;  so  the  saloon  stands  in  the  way  of  the  sancfluary 
and  of  heaven. 

5.  What  witnesses  have  we  for  this  terrible  indinm,e7it  f 
(a)  Reeling  specimens  on  the  street. 

Thej^  pass  by  with  shuffling  gait  on  their  downward 
road  to  death,  hiccoughing,  their  faces  flushed,  and  their 
language  smelling  of  brimstone. 

All  sorts  are  in  this  crowd — professional  men,  honest 
toilers,  frauds,  gamblers,  tricksters,  rich  and  poor  of  all 
colors  and  grades.     What  wreck  and  ruin  ! 

In  a  Kentucky  town  the  grandson  of  Henry  Clay  lay 
dying  of  a  wound  received  in  a  drunken  brawl,  while  at 
the  same  time  the  grandson  of  John  J.  Crittenden  was 
wrestling  with  derlirium  tremens,  and  the  grandson  of 


340  A    QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

Patrick  Henry  was  serving  a  term  of  imprisonment  for 
attempted  murder,  the  result  of  drink. 

(J))  Wives  and  children. 

What  sad-eyed,  pale-faced  women  !  God  pity  them. 
And  what  children  !  Ill-clothed,  hungry,  shrinking  from 
the  taunt,  "  Your  father's  a  drunkard." 

Millions  of  money  are  invested  in  liquor,  millions  more 
are  spent  in  the  havoc  made  by  it,  and  still  more  millions 
spent  to  govern  it. 

(<:)  L/aughter  of  lost  womanhood. 

Visit  the  dives.  The  infamy  must  not  be  spoken  in 
decent  company.  Her  "  feet  take  hold  on  hell."  Three 
horrors  of  our  civilization  :  the  gambler  on  one  side,  the 
saloon-keeper  on  the  other,  with  socially  lost  woman  be- 
tween.    What  a  gruesome  pidlure  for  a  painter  ! 

{d)  Prisons. 

Chief -Justice  Coleridge  says  :  ' '  More  than  eighty  per 
cent,  of  commitments  are  due  to  the  drink  habit. 

A  while  ago  a  man,  the  kindest  of  husbands,  came 
home  from  the  saloon  and  struck  down  his  wife.  The 
children  stood  sobbing  and  cowering  before  him.  He 
was  dragged  to  prison.  Next  morning,  on  awakening, 
he  said,  ' '  Where  am  I  ?  "  "In  prison. "  "  What  for ? " 
"Murder."  A  moment  of  silent  horror.  "Does  my 
wife  know  ?  "  "It  was  your  wife  you  murdered. ' '  He 
fell  in  a  swoon.  The  constable  who  arrested  him  was 
the  owner  of  the  saloon  that  nerved  him  to  do  the  bloody 
deed.  The  judge  who  sentenced  him  voted  to  license  it. 
The  jailer  who  turned  the  key  on  him  was  a  partner  in 
the  concern. 

Read  the  newspapers.  Scan  the  police  reports.  The 
saloon-keeper  is  the  criminal  of  all  criminals,  for  his  trade 
is  the  making  of  criminals. 


THE   CHURCH  AND    THE  SALOON  341 

{e)  Insane  asylums. 

Said  Shakespeare,  that  wise  student  of  human  nature  : 
"  Alas  !  that  men  should  put  an  enemy  (drink)  into  their 
mouths  to  steal  away  their  brains."  On  competent 
authority  it  is  computed  that  seventy  per  cent,  of  the  in- 
mates of  lunatic  asylums  have  lost  their  reason  through 
their  own  dissipation  in  drink  or  as  a  result  of  parental 
indulgence  in  the  traffic. 

(/)  The  poorhouse. 

Many  paupers  are  old  before  their  time,  watery-eyed  and 
decrepit  through  liquor.  Most  of  them,  however,  are 
women  and  children,  and  are  there  through  inebriate  hus- 
bands. Many  men  squander  their  earnings  in  drink,  and 
at  death  leave  their  families  penniless  and  helpless. 

(^)  The  Potter's  Field. 

What  tragedies  of  pain  and  sorrow  lie  hidden  under 
those  mounds  !  Men,  and  women  too,  who  struggled 
vainly  in  the  grip  of  habit  and  ended  in  a  frenzy.  Some 
day  an  awful  spedler,  composed  of  multitudes  of  his  vic- 
tims, will  rise  out  of  those  graves,  to  the  horror  of  the 
saloon-keeper  and  his  sympathizers. 

III.  AS  TO  THE  RELATION  OF  THE  CHURCH  TO 
THE  SALOON 

I.  The  Church  can  choose  to  do  nothing. — Folding  its 
hands,  it  sometimes  says :  ' '  The  saloon  has  come  to 
stay."  Cowardly  sophism  !  Suppose  it  has.  Is  that  a 
reason  for  entering  into  complicity  with  it  ?  Idolatry  has 
come  to  stay  ;  so  has  theft,  adultery,  murder.  Shall  we 
revise  the  Decalog  on  that  account  ?  Christ  never 
mourned  over  the  prevalence  of  evil.  He  came  to  wage 
relentless  war  against  it.  He  made  no  compromises. 
His  teachings  state  that  no  form  of  evil  has  come  to  stay. 


342  A    QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

The  dram-shop  will  continue  only  until  God's  people  shall 
become  colaborers  with  Christ  for  its  overthrow. 

2.  The  Church  7nay  sanction  the  saloon. — That  is,  license 
it.  ''Licet''  (It  is  permitted).  What  is  it  that  we  per- 
mit? The  dram-shop  to  make  the  strong  man  weak,  to 
lay  him  low,  to  break  his  wife's  heart,  to  bring  suffering 
and  disgrace  to  his  children,  to  harm  his  neighbor,  to 
kindle  hate  and  strife,  to  nerve  the  robber's  arm,  to  whet 
the  murderer's  knife,  to 

"  Bring  disease,  want,  and  woe, 
To  make  this  world  a  hell, 
And  fit  a  man  for  a  hell." 

3.  The  Church  may  iindertake  to  sanctify  the  saloon. — 
That  is,  throw  the  cloak  of  ecclesiastical  help  and  com- 
fort over  it. 

In  some  parts  of  England  a  dram-shop  can  be  licensed 
only  when  the  parish  clergyman's  signature  accompanies 
the  application.  It  is  a  shame  to  say  it,  but  the  signa- 
ture is  seldom  withheld.  It  is  to  the  credit  of  America, 
however,  that  a  clergyman's  pulpit  would  be  jeopardized 
should  he  do  such  a  thing.  Yet  in  certain  ecclesiastical 
quarters  the  saloon  finds  favor.  In  view  of  its  awful  in- 
fluence upon  the  individual,  the  home,  society,  and  the 
nation  at  large,  this  seems  almost  incredible.  If  the  roofs 
were  lifted  in  this  city  at  this  moment  there  would  be 
exposed  as  the  result  of  the  existence  of  the  saloon  such 
a  sight  of  brutality,  squalor,  debauchery,  and  ruin  as 
never  before  met  human  eyes  or  sickened  human  hearts, 
^till,  some  professed  followers  of  the  pure,  sorrowing, 
sympathizing  Christ  propose  to  make  comfortable  quar- 
ters for  drunken  brutes,  to  strew  sawdust  on  the  floor  of 
the  saloon,  to  hang  elevating  pidlures  on  its  walls,  and 


THE   CHURCH  AND    THE  SALOON  343 

put  pure  liquors  on  its  shelves.  In  God's  name,  if  the 
Church  has  aught  of  treasure  or  of  sympathy  to  spare, 
let  it  be  lavished  upon  the  drunkard's  vidlims  and  let 
the  brute  shift  for  himself. 

Are  we,  then,  to  do  nothing  for  the  drunkard  ?  Yes. 
But  not  to  encourage  him  in  his  bestial  vice.  Help  him 
in  three  ways  :  First,  by  legislating  against  his  tempta- 
tion. Second,  by  persuasion.  Third,  by  showing  him 
an  example  of  total  abstinence.  "I  haven't  a  heart," 
said  a  minister  recently,  ' '  to  deny  the  poor  man  his  beer, 
while  I  lunch  with  my  bishop  at  his  club. ' '  Then  one 
of  two  things  must  be  done,  either  provide  quarters 
where  the  poor  man  may  drink,  or  stop  lunching  with 
the  bishop  at  his  club.  "  If  wine  make  my  brother  to 
offend  I  will  drink  no  wine  so  long  as  the  world  standeth, ' ' 
Paul  would  say,  as  he  said  of  meat. 

4.  The  Church  may  antagonize  the  saloon. — War  to  the 
knife  and  the  knife  to  the  hilt.     No  quarter. 

In  the  Crimean  War  Russian  troops  were  getting  the 
worst  of  it  in  a  hand-to-hand  struggle  with  some  Scotch 
Highlanders.  All  the  English  the  Russians  could  say 
was  "  Quarter.''  A  brawny  Scotchman  replied  in  his 
broadest  brogue,  "  We  have  na  time  to  quarrter  ye  ;  we'll 
jist  cut  ye  a-twa."     No  quarter  for  the  saloon. 

There  are  thirty  continuous  miles  of  saloons  in  the 
city  of  New  York.  Every  red  light  that  streams  from 
them  marks  the  open  mouth  of  hell. 

Ministers,  denounce  it  !  Churches,  antagonize  it ! 
Suffering  families  look  to  you  to  do  that.  Crying  chil- 
dren look  to  3"ou  to  do  it.  When  the  niece  of  Richelieu 
was  assailed  by  a  roj'^al  debauchee,  the  old  cardinal,  with 
holy  indignation  flaming  from  his  eyes,  stood  for  her 
protedlion. 


344  A    QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

Shall  tliis  be  the  attitude  of  the  Church? 

If  possible,  rescue  the  drunkard  and  the  drunkard- 
maker  ;  but  to  that  institution  of  unmitigated  evil,  the 
saloon,  we  can  offer  naught  but  bitterest  enmity.  No 
quarter  to  that.  The  thing  must  die,  because  it  is 
cursed  of  God. 


LXVII 
THE   SUNDAY   NEWSPAPER 


Take  us  the  foxes,  the  little  foxes,  that  spoil 
the  vines. 

—Song  of  Solomon  ii :  15. 


*T*  HE  sin  of  our  time  is  Sabbath  desecration.     The 
*■    I        head  and  front  of  it  is  the  Sunday  newspaper. 
^^Bl  Burglars  sometimes  take  boys  with  them  to 

open  doors  and  climb  over  transoms.      The 
Sunday  newspaper  is  the  door-opener  to  Sabbath  dese- 
cration. 
Observe : 

I.   THE  SUNDAY  NEWSPAPER  IS  UNNECESSARY 

Its  wide  prevalence  began  in  the  time  of  our  Civil  War. 
Before  that  time  only  the  New  York  Herald  and  the 
Alia  California  printed  Sunday  editions. 

There  might  be  some  excuse  for  the  Sunday  paper  dur- 
ing the  war,  for  all  were  anxious  to  hear  about  their  hus- 
bands and  brothers  at  the  front.  Thus  the  wedge  entered 
by  considerations  of  both  mercy  and  necessity.  Now  it 
can  have  no  claim  for  either.  Money  is  at  the  bottom 
of  it. 

II.  THE  SUNDAY  NEWSPAPER  IS  UNLAWFUL 

In  many  of  our  commonwealths  it  is  under  a  legal  ban. 
The  laws  in  New  York  have  been  adjusted  to  allow  it. 
The  Supreme  Court,  however,  has  repeatedly  decided 
that  the  moral  law  is  an  organic  part  of  our  national  con- 

845 


346  A   QUIVER  OF  ARROIVS 

stitution.  This  form  of  Sabbath  desecration,  therefore, 
is  a  violation  of  the  fundamental  principles  of  the 
repubUc. 

III.    THE    SUNDAY  NEWSPAPER   IS  DISREPUTABLE 

It  claims  to  be  a  great  educator.  Our  public  schools 
are  educational.  But  that  does  not  constitute  a  reason 
for  opening  them  on  the  Sabbath  day.  Educational,  for- 
sooth !  Here  are  the  contents  of  a  recent  Sunday  issue  of 
the  New  York  Tribune^  Times ^  Herald y  Sun^  Press,  World, 
Journal,  and  News  : 

Columns 

Murders  and  assaults 12 

Adulteries 7 

Thefts,  etc 24 

Total  of  crime 43 

Sporting 81 

Theatrical 44 

Gossip  and  fashion 77 

Sensational 42 

Fiction 99 

Unclean  personals 8 

Total  of  gossip  (mostly  disreputable)  .  351 

Foreign  news 47 

Political  news 113 

Other  miscellaneous  news 92 

Editorial 39 

Specials 199 

Art  and  literature 24 

Religious 3^ 

Total  news  and  politics  (chiefly)    .     .  5i7^ 

Grand  total 911X 


THE  SUNDAY  NEWSPAPER  347 

Religion  in  a  Sunday  newspaper  is  like  Gratiano's 
"  two  grains  of  wheat  hid  in  two  bushels  of  chaff  :  you 
shall  seek  all  day  ere  you  find  them,  and  when  you  have 
them  they  are  not  worth  the  search." 

The  headlines  are  such  as  these  : 

Gossip  of  Court — An  Alleged  Dramatic  Shark — Embezzlement 
— A  Sudden  Death — The  Buzzard  Gang — A  Tennessee  Man  in 
the  Toils — A  Woman  Burned  to  Death — Vagrants — Smuggled 
Goods — A  Bogus  Divorce  Suit — An  Eloping  Husband — A  Mock 
Marriage  Scandal — A  Chained  and  Beaten  Wife — Bride  Arrested 
— Defalcation — Forgery — A  Stockholder  Disappears — Small-pox 
in  Brooklyn — Convicted  of  Assaulting  Miss  Emerson — Mine  Ex- 
plosion— Murder — Cattle  Plague — Strangled  His  Wife — Shot  His 
Brother — Robbed — Killed — Cuban  Bandits — Deadly  Canned  Fruit 
— Trapeze  Performer's  Fall — Abhorrent  Scenes  in  a  Tropical 
Cemetery — Failures — Deadly  Oleomargarine — Gone  Down  at  Sea 
— Pacific  Express  Robbery — Three  Wives  Living — Suicide — Vio- 
lently Insane — Murder  Trial — Dynamiters — Rowdies — He  Pulled 
a  Revolver  and  Threatened  to  Shoot  Her  if  She  Did  Not  Marry 
Him — Desperate  Murderer  Arrested — Witness  Saw  Clara  and 
Traphagen  in  a  Compromising  Position — Gossip  for  Ladies  at 
the  Sunday  Breakfast-Table — Snubbed — Disgrace — An  Illegiti- 
mate Child — A  Glove  Fight — Elegant  Baltimore  Girl  for  a  Mis- 
tress— Defaulting  Teller — Good  Gracious  ! — Too  Thin — Blew  Out 
His  Brains  with  a  Pistol — The  Waistless  Dress — The  Bite  of  an 
Epileptic — Brooklyn  Tax  Dodgers. 

Is  not  the  Sunday  newspaper  disreputable  ?  Is  it  not 
the  common  sewer  of  all  our  social  life,  the  cesspool  of 
all  our  shames  and  scandals  and  unmentionable  things  ? 

IV.  IT  ROBS  EMPLOYEES  OF  NEEDED  REST 

One  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  compositors,  pressmen, 
and  others  are  kept  at  work  seven  days  in  the  week  and 
three  hundred  and  sixty-five  days  in  the  year. 

Hundreds  and  thousands  of  newsboys  call  their  wares 


348  A    QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

on  the  streets  on  Sunday.  Multitudes  of  others  are  at 
their  stands  or  in  their  stores  selling  the  papers.  Are  not 
these  getting  their  business  education  for  the  future? 
Invade  the  morals  of  youth  and  their  after  life  will  be  one 
of  crime  as  a  rule. 

V.  IT  INVADES  THE  SABBATH  REST  OF  THE 
BUSINESS  MAN 

Our  national  malady  is  nervous  debility.  A  man's 
brain  in  a  whirl  seven  days  in  the  week  will  kill  him.  The 
Sunday  newspaper  helps  to  do  that. 

VI.  IT  BREAKS  UP  HOME   LIFE 

Family  worship,  reading  of  good  books,  and  the  relig- 
ious press  on  Sunday  used  to  prevail.  Now  the  head  of 
the  family  reads  the  Sunday  paper,  and  the  children 
wait  for  him  to  get  through,  that  they  may  do  the  same. 
The  fable  of  the  Arab  and  camel  has  come  true. 

VII.   IT  UNFITS  FOR  THE  SANCTUARY 

Can  a  man  come  to  church,  having  spent  his  morning 
with  the  newspaper,  and  not  have  his  mind  full  of  his 
"  blanket  sheet  ?  " 

Is  one  day  in  seven  too  much  for  sacred  rest  and  medi- 
tation, and  to  set  one  right  with  Heaven  ? 

If  there  is  a  God  who  hates  sin,  if  there  is  a  hereafter, 
and  this  life  is  a  preparation  for  it,  what  shall  we  say  for 
ourselves  when  confronted  at  the  day  of  judgment,  not 
only  for  neglecSt  of  the  sacred  duties  of  the  Sabbath  day, 
but  for  a  positive  violation  of  its  injundlions  in  the  clear 
light  of  God's  "Thou  shalt  not  "  ? 


THE  SUNDAY  NEWSPAPER  349 

VIII.  THE  SUNDAY  NEWSPAPER  ENFEEBLES 
CONSCIENCE 

Men  used  to  shut  their  shops  on  Saturday  nights,  stop 
business,  and  go  home.  How  is  it  after  thirty  years  of 
Sunday  newspaper  reading  ?  They  may  still  close  their 
shops,  but  they  put  an  "  ad  "  in  the  Sunday  newspaper 
and  thus  ' '  boom  ' '  their  business  all  through  the  holy  day. 
Half  a  million  voices  tell  of  their  bargains  to-morrow. 
Conscience  is  debauched  in  this  way. 

We  think  we  are  getting  liberal.  The  fadl  is  we  are 
getting  loose.  We  are  afraid  of  being  called  Puritan. 
Better  be  called  Puritan  than  profligate. 

But  it  is  argued  that  the  Sunday  newspaper  has  come 
to  stay.  So  has  sin,  yellow  fever,  cholera,  and  what 
not ;  but  that  is  no  reason  why  they  should  be  fostered. 
These  are  bound  in  time  to  be  wiped  out,  and  with  them 
will  go  the  Sunday  newspaper. 

We  can  not  live  without  Sabbath  rest.  Nor  can  we 
please  God  without  keeping  the  Sabbath  day  holy.  Nor 
can  we  keep  the  Sabbath  day  holy  and  fill  head  and  heart 
with  the  abominations  of  the  Sunday  newspaper. 


ANNIVERSARY   SERMONS 


LXVIII 

'•COME    IN,    THOU    BLESSED    OF    THE 
LORD" 

A  New-year' s  Meditation 

Come  in,  thou  blessed  of  the  I,ord, 

—Genesis  xxiv :  31. 


A  T  the  doorway  of  Bethuel's  house  in  Meso- 
*^^..  potamia  stands  a  wayfarer,  weary  and  dust- 
^aS  stained.  He  is  the  servant  of  an  Oriental 
prince.  He  asks  entertainment  for  himself 
and  his  train.  His  camels  are  kneeling  under  their  bur- 
den at  a  distance.  The  daughter  of  the  house  calls  her 
brother  Laban.  He  is  in  doubt  till  he  sees  extraordinary 
gifts  of  wealth.  This  representative  must  have  a  master 
of  note.  "  Come  in,  thou  blessed  of  the  Lord  ;  where- 
fore standest  thou  without  ?  ' ' 

It  was  an  eventful  day  for  Bethuel's  house.  It  con- 
nedled  it  with  the  princely  lineage  of  Abraham, 

So  the  New  Year  stands  at  our  threshhold.  Waiting 
for  us  are  Heaven's  gifts  of  richest  treasures,  hopes, 
aspirations,  golden  purposes,  rings  and  bracelets  for  the 
adornment  of  personal  character.  New  Year,  welcome 
thou  herald  of  the  great  King  !     "  Come  in." 

The  air  is  resonant  with  good  wishes.  ' '  A  happy 
New  Year!"  is  the  children's  greeting.  Lips  tremu- 
lous with  age  utter  it.  Sick-rooms  are  cheered  by  it. 
The  world  is  brighter  for  it. 

What  does  this  word  '  *  happiness ' '  mean  ?   Varro  made 

353 


354  A   QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

two  hundred  definitions  of  it.  The  three  great  leading 
schools  of  Athens  tried  to  define  it.  Plato  said : 
"Happiness  is  to  live  refledtively."  Epicurus  said: 
"Happiness  is  to  live  cheerily — 'eat,  drink,  and  be 
merry,  for  to-morrow  we  die.'"  Reno  said:  "Happi- 
ness is  to  live  with  fortitude,  to  accept  with  a  brave  heart, 
for  whatever  is  to  be  will  be." 

In  each  of  these  there  is  a  modicum  of  truth.  Plato 
was  right.  Live  thoughtfully.  Face  the  great  problems. 
If  God  exists,  believe  it.  If  death  ends  all,  be  sure  of 
that.  If  the  Bible  is  true,  be  confident  of  it.  If  Jesus 
Christ  is  the  Savior,  accept  Him. 

Epicurus  was  right.  I/ive  cheerily.  We  live  in  a 
pleasant  world  and  God  is  good  to  us.  Rejoice.  But  in 
the  midst  of  pleasure  be  mindful  to  make  merry  as  be- 
cometh  a  child  of  God. 

Zeno  was  right.  Live  with  fortitude.  Be  superior  to 
environment — not  indifferent,  but  superior  to  it.  Why 
not  ?  For  all  things  work  together  for  good  to  the  Chris- 
tian. Heat  the  furnace  seven  times  hotter  than  before; 
he  can  endure  it,  for  the  Son  of  Man  is  in  the  midst. 

In  the  keystone  of  an  ancient  Saxon  castle  was  a 
legend  which  contains  the  secret  of  happiness.  Here's 
the  device :  A  hand  reached  upward  as  in  supplication, 
and  over  it  the  words  "Will,  God,  I  can." 

I.   WILL 

The  beginning  of  all  is  choice.  Without  that  a  man  is 
the  mere  creature  of  circumstances. 

One  windy  day  a  kite  flying  aloft  struggled  to  be  free 
from  the  invisible  cord  that  held  it.  A  fleck  of  cloud 
floated  by  and  said,  ' '  Come  with  me  ;  this  is  a  merry 
life. "     "I  can  not, ' '  said  the  kite,  struggling  to  be  free. 


"COME  IN,    THOU  BLESSED  OF  THE  LORD"      355 

"I  am  held."  A  ball  of  thistle-down  passed  by. 
' '  Come  with  me  ;  this  is  delight. "  "I  can  not,  I  am 
held. "  A  whisp  of  paper  whirled  by,  "  Come  with  me  ; 
what  a  joyous  life  is  this  !  "  "  I  am  held."  Currents 
and  counter-currents,  capricious  winds  and  what  not 
subjedl  us  to  perpetual  danger.  The  Christian  is  held. 
Held  by  a  ruling  purpose. 

Horace  Bushnell  was  fond  of  saying,  ' '  Grasp  the  han- 
dle of  your  being."  Grasp  it  as  a  man  does  the  tiller  in 
time  of  storm.  Hold  it  with  a  calm,  strong  hand.  Suc- 
cess lies  that  way.     Steady  ! 

II.  GOD 

It  is  necessary  to  choose.  But  choose  the  highest  and 
best. 

Alas  !  for  the  man  who  leaves  Gk)d  out  of  his  reckon- 
ing. 

1.  A  man  may  live  for  self . — For  self-culture,  for  build- 
ing up  of  charadler.  A  neighboring  minister  said  to  a 
man  the  other  day  that,  as  he  professed  to  be  a  Christian, 
he  should  have  some  anchorage  somewhere.  ' '  Oh, ' '  he 
replied,  "  I  go  about  to  all  the  churches  and  hear  all  the 
ministers. ' '  He  got  all  he  could  and  gave  nothing  ; 
therefore,  no  one  was  the  better  for  his  getting.  He 
hoarded  all.     He  lived  for  self. 

2.  A  man  may  live  for  others. — Sydney  Smith  said  : 
"  Ivife  is  in  two  heaps  :  the  one  of  joy,  the  other  of  sor- 
row. If  I  can  on  any  day  take  a  little  from  the  heap  of 
sorrow  and  add  to  it  the  heap  of  jo3^  I  reckon  that  day 
well  spent. "  It  is  a  good  thing  to  make  life  about  us 
sweeter  and  brighter.  Serve  the  common  weal  and  men 
will  bless  you.  But  is  that  the  highest  and  best  we 
can  do  ? 


356  A   QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

3.  A  man  may  live  for  God. — The  ultimate  of  every- 
thing is  God.  The  chief  end  of  man  is  to  glorify  God. 
There  is  some  good  in  living  for  self,  but  not  much. 
There  is  more  in  living  for  others,  but  that  has  its  limita- 
tions and  is  unsatisfactory.  A  man  never  reaches  his 
highest  level  till  he  lives  for  God.  Living  for  God  in- 
cludes both  self  and  others. 

It  was  said  of  the  ancients  that  to  every  one  was  given 
the  choice  of  an  urn. 

One  was  a  golden  urn  full  of  blood,  and  in  it  was 
written  the  one  word  ' '  Empire. ' '  Another  was  of  amber 
and  full  of  ashes;  in  it  was  written  the  word  ^^  Glory. '^ 
A  third  was  of  clay  and  empty,  but  in  the  bottom  of  it 
was  written  "God.'^  This  was  the  best  of  all,  for  they 
were  wont  to  say  :  ' '  That  one  letter  of  that  name  out- 
weighs the  world." 

True  happiness  is  impossible  without  God.  Self  is  a 
broken  reed.  A  man  may  as  well  seek  comfort  in  time 
of  trouble  in  his  shadow  as  in  himself.  David  tried  it, 
and  failed  again  and  again.  He  had  to  say  at  last, 
'•'Hope  thou  in  God." 

III.   I  CAN 

This  means  resolution.  Resolution  is  more  than  choice. 
Choice  is  a  volitional  adt  ;  resolution  is  a  persistent  force. 
In  the  equipment  of  a  soldier  resolution  is  represented  by 
sandals.  Have  your  ' '  feet  shod  with  the  preparation  of 
the  gospel  of  peace."  The  whole  armor  of  God  was  not 
complete  without  sandals.  Battles  used  to  be  fought  not 
with  heavy  artillery  from  hilltops  at  a  distance,  nor  by 
sharpshooters  from  rifle-pits,  but  with  short  swords,  face 
to  face  and  hand  to  hand.  Much  depended  upon  a  man's 
footing.     Spiked  sandals  were  of  the  utmost  importance. 


"COME  IN,    THOU  BLESSED  OF  THE  LORD"      357 

So,  put  on  the  sandals  of  resolution,  that  you  may  le 
able  to  withstand  in  the  evil  day,  and  having  done  all, 
to  stand. 

Resolution  is  more  than  resolutions.  Resolutions  are 
fragmentary  volitions.  A  multitude  at  this  season  want 
to  turn  over  a  new  leaf.  It  is  pretty  sure  to  be  like  the 
old  one,  blotted  and  stained  with  short-comings.  But 
resolution  is  one  persistent  energy  that  covers  the  whole 
year.     There  is  no  discharge  in  this  war. 

A  while  ago  we  were  watching  for  a  comet.  Tho  the 
stars  were  shining  all  the  time  no  one  heeded  them. 
Even  while  we  were  watching  the  comet  was  gone. 
Cometary  resolutions  last  but  for  the  moment.  The 
stars  shine  on  forever.  Resolution  dependent  on  God's 
strength  wins.  That  was  a  wise  saying  of  Dr.  Johnson: 
' '  I  have  been  resolving  these  fifty-five  years  ;  now  I  take 
hold  on  God." 

There  must  have  been  a  charm  in  the  face  and  words 
of  Jesus  that  drew  men  to  Him.  He  drew  Matthew  from 
his  books,  fishermen  from  their  nets,  and  others  from 
their  various  occupations  to  follow  Him. 

To  some  He  has  been  speaking  year  after  year.  How 
long  ?  Does  He  speak  again  this  year  also  ?  Hear  the 
call,  "  Arise  and  follow  me."  Do  you  say,  "  I  can  not." 
Rather  be  honest  and  say,  "  I  will  not."  You  can  obey 
if  you  will. 

Your  destiny  may  be  in  this  hour.  ' '  Now  "  is  a  little 
word,  but  it  is  mighty  beyond  comprehension.  The  field 
of  Waterloo  was  a  little  spot,  only  twenty  acres,  but  it 
settled  the  destiny  of  nations. 

The  old  year  is  behind  us.  One  blessing  is  that  our 
sins  may  be  cast  into  oblivion.  Forget  them.  The 
Japanese  have  a  proverb  : 


358  A    QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

"  My  sleeve  with  tears  is  always  wet, 
I  have  forgotten  to  forget." 

But  here  is  the  word  for  us:  "  Forgetting  those  things 
which  are  behind,  and  reaching  forth  unto  those  things 
which  are  before,  I  press  toward  the  mark  for  the  prize 
of  the  high  calHng  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus." 

The  new  year  is  before  us. 

We  stand  as  the  servant  of  Abraham  at  the  threshhold 
of  Bethuel ;  or  as  Abraham  himself,  on  the  banks  of  the 
Euphrates,  looking  ofif  toward  the  unknown  country.  A 
New  York  clergyman  when  a  lad  stood  on  the  crest  of  a 
Scotch  hill,  overlooking  the  scene  of  his  years  of  study. 
He  lingered  as  he  looked.  Then  with  feelings  difficult 
to  describe  he  turned  to  face  the  world  before  him.  He 
said  :  ' '  Thirty  years  have  come  and  gone  since  then  ;  I 
have  not  seen  the  place  since,  and  never  expedt  to  see  it 
again."  So  we  stand  on  this  eminence  of  the  New  Year. 
We  look  back  with  mingled  feelings  of  joy  and  sorrow — 
regrets  and  disappointments  too,  undoubtedly  ;  but  it  is 
our  duty  to  look  forward  with  hope  and  aspiration,  hav- 
ing every  nerve  vibrating  with  eagerness  to  win  the  race. 
' '  Let  us  lay  aside  every  weight  and  the  sin  which  doth 
so  easily  beset  us,  and  let  us  run  with  patience  the  race 
that  is  set  before  us,  looking  unto  Jesus,  the  author  and 
finisher  of  our  faith. ' ' 


LXIX 
THE   FIRST   EASTER  SERMON 

And  they  said  one  to  another,  Did  not  our  heart 
burn  within  us,  while  he  talked  with  us  by  the 
way,  and  while  he  opened  to  us  the  scriptures  ? 
— I,UKE  xxiv :  32. 


*T^  WO  discouraged  Christians  were  passing  through 

^    ,        a  pidturesque  part  of  Palestine,  but  they  had 

^E»l      no  eyes  for  their  surroundings.     Their  hearts 

were  broken.     Their  friend  had  been  branded 

as  a  criminal,  and  had  suffered  the  full  penalty  of  the  law. 

A  lone  traveler  overtook  them  and  said  :  ' '  What  man- 
ner of  communications  are  these  that  ye  have  one  with 
another  ? ' ' 

They  halted,  and,  looking  sad,  replied:  "Art  thou 
only  a  stranger  in  Jerusalem,  and  hast  not  known  the 
things  which  are  come  to  pass  there  in  these  days  ?  ' ' 

He  said:  "  What  things  ?  " 

They  answered:  "Concerning  Jesus  of  Nazareth, 
which  was  a  prophet  mighty  in  deed  and  word. ' ' 

They  then  rehearsed  all  that  had  taken  place.  The 
stranger  said  :  "  O  fools,  and  slow  of  heart  to  believe 
all  that  the  prophets  have  spoken  !  Ought  not  Christ  to 
have  suffered  these  things,  and  to  enter  into  his  glory  ?  ' ' 

This  was  the  first  Easter  sermon,  and  is  worthy  of  at- 
tention for  the  following  reasons  : 

I.    IT    WAS    ADDRESSED    TO    THE    UNIVERSAL 
CHURCH 

It  is  a  mistake  to  suppose  that  a  building,  however 

359 


360  A    QUIVER  OF  ARROWS 

magnificent  or  made  sacred  by  dedicatory  services,  is  the 
Church. 

The  Romanists  say  :  '  *  Where  the  Church  is,  there  is 
Christ."  The  reverse  is  the  truth  :  "Where  Christ  is, 
there  is  the  Church." 

Had  you  seen  these  dusty  travelers  in  homespun  you 
would  scarcely  have  turned  a  second  look  upon  them. 
Yet  that  group  was  the  Church  in  its  beginning,  in  which 
God  has  been  working  for  the  deliverance  of  our  race, 
the  mighty  Archimedean  leverage  by  which  He  is  lifting 
the  sin-stricken  world  into  light  and  glory.  The  words 
Jesus  spoke  to  these  wayfarers  are  intended  for  His  fol- 
lowers ever3rwhere  and  at  all  times,  and  who  constitute 
His  universal  Church. 

II.  CHRIST  SPOKE  OF  HIMSELF 

Christianity  is  the  religion  of  a  Person.  He  is  more 
than  its  central  fadl. 

All  attempts  to  found  a  living  system  on  Christian  doc- 
trine or  on  Christian  ethics  apart  from  Christ  have  been 
failures — e.g.,  Neoplatonism,  Arianism,  Unitarianism,  the 
Hindu  Somajes,  Ethical  Culture,  and  Altruistic  Social- 
ism.    You  can  not  omit  Christ  and  save  His  teaching. 

His  resurredlion  was  a  necessity.  A  dead  Christ  can 
not  save.  He  must  be  a  living  Christ ;  not  living  apart, 
but  living  in  the  soul  as  a  spiritual  force  counteradting 
inured  sin  and  developing  holiness. 

When  Oliver  Cromwell  died  one  stormy  night  in  Sep- 
tember, 1658,  there  was  consternation  among  his  friends. 
His  body  was  scarcely  laid  away  in  Westminster  when 
Charles  Stuart  and  his  Cavaliers  appeared  to  assert  his 
jus  Divinum,  and  the  commonwealth — because  it  was  so 
closely  identified  with  the  great  Commoner — ^was  dissi- 


THE  FIRST  EASTER   SERMON  361 

pated  like  an  ice  palace  in  the  sun.  But  suppose  Crom- 
well had  appeared  as  the  royal  cort age  passed  by,  rallying 
his  Roundheads  about  him,  those  Cavaliers  would  have 
fled  like  autumn  leaves  before  the  wind.  So  with  the 
resurredtion  of  Jesus.  He  came  alive  from  the  dead,  and 
He  lives  evermore  the  living  force  in  men,  before  which 
evil  flees  away. 

III.  THE   SCRIPTURE  WAS  THE    SUBSTANCE  OF 
THIS  EASTER  SERMON 

He  quoted  from  Moses  and  the  prophets  concerning 
Himself. 

He  probably  quoted  passages  prophesying  about  His 
birth,  life,  charadter,  ministr>%  vicarious  death,  triumph- 
ant resurre(5lion,  glorious  ascension,  and  His  promised 
return. 

IV.   THE   PURPOSE  OF  THIS  DISCOURSE 

He  was  proving  a  ' '  needs  be. ' ' 

1 .  WJiat  had  happened  was  decreed. — God  had  resolved 
to  save  the  world  from  sin. 

2.  WJiat  was  decreed  in  this  matter  must  be  fulfilled. — 
It  was  all  mentioned  in  the  Scripture  by  way  of  prophecy. 

3.  The  hurde7i  of  i7ievitable  duty  was  laid  zipon  the  heart 
and  conscience  offesus  as  the  Ideal  Man. — Such  a  person- 
age was  universally  expedled  as  set  forth  in  both  profane 
and  sacred  history. 

4.  Love  commanded  and  He  must  obey. — ' '  God  so  loved 
the  world  that  he  gave  his  only  begotten  Son,  that  who- 
soever believeth  in  him  should  not  perish,  but  have 
everlasting  life." 

The  plan  was  divinely  mapped  out  and  Christ  could 
not  have  done  otherwise.     And  so  He  said,  ' '  Except  a 


362  A    QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

com  of  wheat  fall  into  the  ground  and  die,  it  abideth 
alone  ;  but  if  it  die,  it  bringeth  forth  much  fruit."  "As 
Moses  lifteth  up  the  serpent  in  the  wilderness,  even  so 
must  the  Son  of  man  be  lifted  up:  that  whosoever  believ- 
eth  in  him  should  not  perish,  but  have  everlasting  life." 

V.   THE  EFFECT  OF  THIS   DISCOURSE 

The  two  travelers  on  the  highway  from  Jerusalem  to 
Kmniaus,  a  distance  of  about  seven  miles,  set  out  with 
hearts  as  heavy  as  if  going  through  a  graveyard  ;  but  as 
this  stranger  conversed  with  them  hope  revived,  and  they 
seemed  as  if  they  were  walking  through  the  King's  gar- 
den amid  the  music  of  murmuring  waters  and  the  singing 
of  birds.  The  journey  ended  ere  they  knew  it.  Their 
eyes  were  opened.  Perhaps  they  saw  the  print  of  the 
nails.  While  gazing  upon  Him  He  vanished  out  of  sight. 
They  said  one  to  another  :  ' '  Did  not  our  heart  burn 
within  us,  while  he  talked  with  us  by  the  way,  and  while 
he  opened  to  us  the  scriptures  ?  ' ' 

We  need  Christ  in  us.  He  reveals  the  wonders  of 
spiritual  things.  In  His  absence  we  are  dull  of  appre- 
hension. 

Do  not  walk  alone.  Take  Jesus  as  your  companion  on 
the  way.  Let  Him  talk  to  you.  He  will  chase  away 
dull  care,  lift  the  burden  of  life,  give  courage  and  hope, 
and  make  the  future  loom  up  in  magnificence  and 
splendor. 


LXX 


TAXING    UNDER    CYRENIUS 

A    Christmas  Meditation 

And  it  came  to  pass  in  those  days,  that  there 
went  out  a  decree  from  Ca:sar  Augustus,  that  all 
the  world  should  be  taxed.  (And  this  taxing  was 
first  made  when  Cyrenius  was  governor  of  Syria.) 
And  all  went  to  be  taxed,  every  one  into  his  own 
city.  And  Joseph  also  went  up  from  Galilee, 
out  of  the  city  of  Nazareth,  into  Judea,  unto  the 
city  of  David,  which  is  called  Bethlehem  (be- 
cause he  was  of  the  house  and  lineage  of  David), 
to  be  taxed  with  Mary,  his  espoused  wife,  being 
g^eat  with  child.  And  so  it  was,  that,  while  they 
were  there,  the  days  were  accomplished  that  she 
should  be  delivered.  And  she  brought  forth  her 
first-born  son,  and  wrapped  him  in  swaddling 
clothes,  and  laid  him  in  a  manger  ;  because 
there  was  no  room  for  them  in  the  inn. 

— IvUKE  ii  :  1-7. 


HE  December  winds  were  sweeping  over  the  hills 
when   Joseph    and    Mary   set   out  upon   their 
journey.    The  distance  was  eighty  miles.    The 
roads,  at  times  diflScult,  were  now  almost  im- 
passable.    Here  was  a  sturdy  peasant,  staff  in  hand,  lead- 
ing by  the  bridle  a  panniered  mule  whereon  sits  a  muflQed 
woman. 

There  were  wonderful  scenes  on  the  way.  At  the  ford 
of  Kishon  they  would  recall  the  song  of  Deborah  :  ' '  The 
stars  in  their  courses  fought  against  Sisera.  The  river 
of  Kishon  swept  them  away  ;  that  ancient  river,  the  river 
Kishon." 


364  A   QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 

Passing  under  the  shadow  of  Gilboa,  where  the 
shields  of  the  mighty  were  wildly  cast  away,  and  where 
David  uttered  his  lament,  they  would  remember  the 
words:  "  They  were  lovely  and  pleasant  in  their  lives, 
and  in  their  death  they  were  not  divided." 

Farther  on  they  came  to  the  heights  of  Jezreel,  where, 
if  it  were  evening,  they  saw  the  glimmer  of  the  lamps  of 
Gideon's  three  hundred,  and  listened  to  the  song  that 
was  at  once  a  battle  paen  and  a  prophecy  :  ' '  Then  shall 
be  broken  the  stafE  of  the  oppressor  as  in  the  days  of 
Midian.  .  .  .  For  unto  us  a  child  is  born,  his  name 
shall  be  called  Wonderful,  Counsellor,  The  Mighty  God, 
The  Everlasting  Father,  The  Prince  of  Peace  ! ' ' 

It  was  probably  the  fourth  day  when  they  came  in 
sight  of  Bethlehem.  They  would  pass  the  fields  where 
Ruth  had  gleaned  and  the  pastures  where  David  had 
watched  his  flocks.  The  well  at  the  gate  of  the  city 
would  remind  them  of  the  exiled  king  when  he  cried  out: 
"Oh,  for  a  drink  of  the  water  of  the  well  beside  the  gate 
of  Bethlehem  !  "  In  the  city  were  people  on  the  same 
errand  as  themselves  who  filled  all  the  lodging-places, 
and  they  could  find  for  shelter  only  the  stable  attached  to 
an  inn.  There  was  room  for  them  nowhere  else.  Here 
in  this  lowly  place  the  ' '  King  of  Kings  and  I^ord  of 
lyords"  was  born. 

The  taxing,  preferably  enrolling,  under  Cyrenius, 
marked  the  fulness  of  time.  The  enrollment  under 
Roman  authority  betokened  the  departure  of  all  national 
power  from  Israel.     The  scepter  fell,  then  Shiloh  came. 

All  prophecy  concerning  the  Christ  was  fulfilled.  Chris- 
tian history  now  begins. 

Three  significant  f  adts  mark  the  timeliness  of  the  birth 
of  Christ : 


TAXING    UNDER   CY REN  I  US  365 

I.  THE  WORLD  HAD  REACHED  THE  CLIMAX  OF 

SIN 

It  is  curious  that  the  worid's  sin  came  to  its  full  devel- 
opment in  what  was  known  as  the  Golden  Age.  This 
marks  the  utter  insufficiency  of  culture. 

Luxury  and  licentiousness  in  the  time  of  Augustus 
Caesar  in  the  court  of  Rome  and  among  the  people  pre- 
vailed to  an  alarming  degree.  Virgil  was  writing  his 
Eclogues,  Horace  was  singing  his  Odes,  Livy  was  writing 
his  Annals.  What  feasts  there  were  !  What  sports  in  the 
amphitheater  !  Caesar  gave  an  exhibition  of  six  hundred 
gladiators,  who  fought  hand  to  hand  to  the  very  death. 
Pompey,  not  to  be  outdone  by  Caesar,  brought  five  hun- 
dred lions  into  the  arena.  Women  counted  their  divorces 
by  the  number  of  rings  on  their  fingers.  Fashionable 
dames  asked  for  decrees  of  defamation,  that  they  might 
mount  the  stage  and  exhibit  themselves  in  lascivious 
dances  in  honor  of  their  gods.  If  one  would  gain  a  just 
conception  of  the  corruptness  of  the  times,  read  the  first 
chapter  of  Paul's  epistle  to  the  Romans.  Literature  con- 
tains no  indidlment  so  scathing. 

Greece  was  little  better.  Zeuxis  and  Apelles  had  fres- 
coed the  walls  of  public  buildings  and  private  houses  with 
consummate  skill.  Phidias  and  Praxiteles  had  carved 
statues  of  marvelous  beauty.  They  challenge  the  emula- 
tion of  art  to-day.  Philosophy  had  done  its  best.  The 
very  summit  of  earthly  culture  had  been  reached. 

But  over  against  all  this  may  be  witnessed  in  the  fres- 
cos and  inscriptions  taken  from  the  ruins  of  Pompeii, 
exhibitions  of  sin  and  shame  not  to  be  mentioned  in  these 
days.  Greece,  Rome,  and  the  whole  world  groaned  and 
travailed  for  the  coming  of  the  great  Deliverer. 


366  A    QUIVER  OF  ARROWS 

II.    THE   WORLD    REACHED    ITS  CLIMAX  OF    NEED 

The  Messiah,  it  was  predidled,  would  "be  the  desire 
of  all  nations. ' ' 

If  so,  then  all  other  plans  of  deliverance  had  failed. 
All  other  religions  were  dead.  There  was  no  help  for 
human  souls. 

The  Jewish  religion  had  been  reduced  to  mere  form  and 
ceremony.  The  Temple  had  become  a  whiteu  sepulcher. 
Religious  teachers,  tho  profuse  with  pretenses,  stood  in 
the  doorway  of  heaven ,  neither  entering  in  themselves  nor 
permitting  others  who  would  enter  in. 

The  gods  of  Rome  were  impotent.  Their  altars  were 
forsaken.  The  people  had  lost  confidence  in  them.  The 
priests  smiled  at  each  other  at  the  thought  of  their 
impositions. 

The  philosophers  of  Greece  were  lielpless  to  redeem 
men.  The  Academy  and  the  Painted  Porch  flourished  on 
the  banks  of  the  Illyssus.  Platonism  dreamed  of  spiritual 
things.  Stoicism  hardened  men  to  suffer  silently.  Epi- 
cureanism advocated  present  good.  Gibbon  says  :  "  All 
the  prevailing  systems  were  by  the  wise  regarded  as 
equally  false,  by  statesmen  as  equally  necessary,  and  by 
the  people  as  equally  true. ' '  But  they  were  not  satisfied. 
They  wanted  something  new. 

Notwithstanding,  God  was  not  unmindful  of  their 
need.  Nay,  this  was  the  hour  of  the  centuries.  The 
Christ  had  come. 

III.   THE  WORLD   HAD  COMPLETED   ITS  CONTRI- 
BUTION TO  THIS  EVENT 

The  titulum  hung  round  the  neck  of  Christ  when  He 
bore  the  cross  was  written  in  three  languages — Hebrew, 


TAXING    UNDER   CYRENIUS  367 

Greek,  and  Latin — the  three  languages  spoken  by  the 
three  great  nations  of  the  earth. 

The  Jews  were  the  chosen  of  God  to  perpetuate  the 
worship  of  the  one  true  God  and  to  send  down  to  the 
generations  following  the  Messianic  prophecies.  Their 
work  was  finished.  It  was  appropriate  that  their  sover- 
eignty as  a  distindl  people  should  pass  from  them. 

The  Greeks  contributed  their  part  in  giving  a  language, 
through  long  years  of  culture,  which  was  of  all  other 
languages  of  the  time  the  best  adapted  to  the  utterance 
of  spiritual  things. 

The  Romans  contributed  their  part  also.  Cyrenius 
called  a  universal  enrollment.  All  nations  passed  under 
the  Roman  yoke.  The  Caesar's  had  built  great  roads  for 
their  conquering  armies  to  the  remotest  colonies,  even  as 
far  west  as  Great  Britain.  But  these  roads  in  the  Provi- 
dence of  God  became  the  highways  by  which  Christian 
men  and  women  should  pass  with  the  Gospel  which 
would  become  mightier  than  all  armies  combined  to 
bring  men  under  the  sway  of  the  new-born  King. 

Thus  all  things  were  ready.  When  the  clock  of  heaven 
struck  it  was  Caesar  Augustus  that  gave  the  signal  here 
below.  Then  the  last  of  the  prophets  uttered  a  voice : 
"  Prepare  ye  the  way  of  the  coming  of  God."  "  Behold 
the  Lamb  of  God." 

All  prophecy  is  closed.  The  Son  of  God  is  here.  The 
joy  of  the  Advent  season  is  ours.  What  an  unspeakable 
gift  is  this  !  He  came  to  the  world  in  the  fulness  of 
time. 

Let  our  hearts  be  open  to  admit  Christ  forever  ;  that 
living  with  Him  and  dying  with  Him,  we  may  also  be 
glorified  together  with  Him. 


TOPICAL    INDEX 


TOPICAL    INDEX 


PAGE 

ACTION. 

Good  Samaritan 35 

Fall  of  Jericho 56 

Is  a  test  of  belief: 

Pope's  couplet 230 

ADVENT,  Christ's  second. 
Certainty  of: 
Promise  at  Pentecost     ....    279 

Deluge 280 

Visibility  of: 
Testimony  of  the  Apocalypse    280 
Washins:ton's  return  from  war  281 
Will  be  in  person: 
Relation  of  material  body  to 

spiritual 282 

Will  be  glorious: 
Annunciation,       Transfigura- 
tion, Coronation 282 

Will  be  beneficent: 

Year  lOUO  a.d 283 

Connecticut   Legislature   and 

the  Dark  Day 284 

AGE,  Old. 
Holmes' "  The  Last  Leaf  "  .   .   .    195 
Exploits   of    Caesar,    Herschel, 
Milton,  Bismarck,  Gladstone  .    195 
AGNOSTICISM.     (See   also   Infi- 
delity.) 

Eyeless  fish 153 

Etymology 227 

Pyrrho  and  Comte 228 

Matthew  Arnold,  Spencer,  and 

Maudsley 228 

ALTRUISM. 

Good  Samaritan 32 

Failure  of,  without  Christ    ...     65 
Philanthropy   of    Christian    in- 
stitutions       90 

Sentimental    sociology    to    be 

avoided 90,  201 

Lepers  of  Samaria 127, 130 

Rescuer  rescued 128 

Christ   at   Sychar,   Bethesda, 

Gadara,  Calvary 128 

Dying  sailor 129 

Russian  serf 130 

Dore's  •'  The  Deluge  " 201 

Christian 203 

Sydney  Smith  on 355 

AMBITION. 
CsBsar,  Alexander,  Napoleon  .   .    287 
Alexander    the    Great,    Dream 
Of 299 


PAGE 

ANGELS,  Ministry  OP. 

Elisha's  young  man 73,  75 

ANIMALS    (See  Man  and  Animals 

and  Mercy  to  Animals.) 
APA  VARGA .    (See  Self,  Surren- 
der of.) 
APOSTAOY. 

Among  Christ's  followers  .   .   .    272 
ASPIRATION. 

Luther's  motto 326 

ASSURANCE. 

St.  Paul  the  apostle  of 258 

ATONEMENT. 

Story  of  Jean  Valjean 60 

Jewish  Day  of 276,  277 

Prometheus 286 

AUTHORITY,  Need  of. 

Guizot's  remark 90 

AVARICE. 

Judas  Iscariot 298,  300 

Hood  on 298 

AVOWAL,  Benefit  op. 

Basle  and  Luther 45,  46 

BEAUTY  OF  THE  world. 

Antechamber  of  palace  ....    194 
BELIEF.    (See  Creed  and  Faith.) 
BIBLE. 
Our  title-deed  to  heaven  ....    258 
Symbol  of  orthodoxy: 
Water-pipes  and  water  ....    262 

Quoted  by  Christ 263 

Permanence: 

Isaiah  on 265 

Citadel  of  Christianity: 

Trojan  horse 265 

Literary  value: 
Webster,  Bacon,  Froude,  and 

Scott  on 266,267 

Scientific  value: 

Dana  on 267 

Historicity: 
Archaeoiogical  proofs  ....   268 

A  drama 269 

Ethics: 
Decalog  and  Sermon  on  the 

Mount 269 

Pope  on  ethics 269 

Impregnability: 

Eddystone  Light 270 

Chesterfield's  remark  ....   870 
BIGOTRY. 

In  time  of  Cromwell 318 

371 


372 


A  QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 


BUSINESS.  PAGB 

The  Christian's: 

Carey's  remark 158 

Qualifications  for: 

Promptness,  enthusiasm  .  .  .  159 
Made  a  bar  to  salvation: 

Busy  father 174 

^sop's  simpleton 174 

CALL,  God's.    (See  also  Conver- 
sion.) 
To   Abraham,    Moses,  and   Eli- 
jah   44,  311 

Through  Barak 47 

To  Joan  of  Arc 311 

Through    the    Bible  and    con- 
science   311 

CASUISTRY,  Philosophkes    led 

ASTRAY  BY. 

Hamilton,  Kant,  Spencer,  Mill .    137 
CHARACTER. 

Heart  as  index  of: 
Spartan  judge 10 

Building  of: 

St.  Paul  on 101 

Inquiry  of  a  college  student 

concerning 101 

Remark  of  Emperor  Augustus 

on 102 

The  house  on  the  sand  ....    102 
Conflagration  of  Mummius  .  .    104 

Components  of 104, 105 

Decay  of : 

Saul 149 

Falling  away  from  Christ ...    152 
CHARITY. 

Lincoln's    Speech    at    Gettys- 
burg    134 

Lord'SiPrayer 135 

CHRIST. 

As  Mediator : 
Jacob's  Ladder 13 

The  center  of  society  : 
The  middle  bolt 90 

Our  Prophet,  Priest,  and  King 

103,305 

Our  model : 

Titian  as  a  copyist 191 

Agesilaus  on  mimicry  ....    191 
Artist's  masterpiece 246 

Messiahship  of : 
Sign  of  Jonas 305 

Shibboleth  of: 
The  rescued  Crusader  ....   316 

Kingdom  of : 
Differs  from  worldly  ideal .   .    316 

Compared    with    Socrates    by 
Rousseau 370 

The  Hall  of  Fame 270 

Napoleon  on 270 

Claim   of   divinity 272 

Rejection  of  : 
Ancient  and    modern ....   274 


CHRIST.— Conttnued  paob 

Crucifixion  of : 
"The  Golden  Passional"  .  .  285 

The  Dead  Christ 287 

Story  of  Handel 288 

Birth  of: 
Taxing  under  Cyrenius  .  363,  364 
Journey  of  Joseph  and  Mary  .  363 
Vices  of  the  world  at  time  of  365 
Failure  of  philosophies  .  .  .  866 
Preparation  of  world  for  .  .  .  366 
CHRISTIAN. 

What  it  is  to  be  a 103 

CHRISTIANITY. 

Progress  of 874 

The  religion  of  a  Person  : 
Failure    of     ethics    without 

Christ 360 

CHRISTMAS.  (See  Christ,  Birth 

OF.) 

CHURCH. 

Men  outside  of  the  : 

Hobab  of  Akaba 42 

Miles  Standish 42 

A  Divine  institution 43 

Propaganda  the  purpose  of  .   .     43 

Benefit  of  fellowship  in 45 

The  King's  army 48 

Character  of  the 68,  237 

A  reformatory  agency : 
Anecdote  of  Dr.  Guthrie  ...     68 

Burns'    rebuke 68 

The  prisoner  of  Chillon  ...     70 

Relations  of,  to  State : 

Jesus  and  the  penny 90 

Civic  reform 90 

Emblems  of 338 

CIVIC  REFORM. 

Through  individual  effort ...     34 

Church  and  State 90 

COMPROMISE. 

Lincoln's  sayings 126 

Evil  of  political 305 

CONCENTRATION.     (See     Pur- 
pose, Fixity  of.) 
CONFIDENCE. 

Child  walking  on  the  plank  .  .   257 
CONFLICT. 

The  present  an  age  of: 
John  of  Bohemia  at  Crecy  .  .     91 
CONSCIENCE. 

Definition  of 136 

Plato  on 137 

Universality  of: 
The  north  star 137 

A  disordered: 

Paul  on 136 

Defiection  of  the  compass  .  .   138 
Nero's  cruelty 138 

The  restored : 
The  repaired  watch 140 

The  regulated : 
The  ship's  chronometer    ...    140 

The  rectified : 
Dr.  McCosh's  illustration    .  .   140 


TOPICAL  INDEX 


373 


PAGE 

CONSEQUENCES,    Karma,    the 
Doctrine  of. 

Differs  from  grace 214 

CONSISTENCY. 

Remark  of  Diogenes 104 

CONVERSION.     (See   also   Call, 
God's.) 

Saul,  Luther,  John  Newton  .  .     12 

Lord  Lyttleton,  Gilbert  West .     13 
CONVICTION. 

St.  Paul  on  power  of ~'W 

""^^.S^- 303,305,306 

Walter  Scott's  brother dOd 

Perseus  of  Macedonia 303 

Political  compromises 305 

CREATION  WITHOUT  God: 

Autogenesis 267 

CREED.    (See  also  Faith.) 
A  component  of  character: 

Archimedes'  lever 104 

Pallisy,  Peter  the  Hermit,  A. 
T.  Stewart,  Columbus,  Carey  .   104 
Without  belief:  . 

The  rescued   ship-captain  .   .    105 
CREDULITY    the    first     step 

TOWARD  WISDOM : 

Story  of  the  Welsh  collier  ...  329 

CROMWELL.  „,. 

History  of  . 3H 

His  last  words  ••••••■••  ^J° 

His  arbitrary  and  cruel  acts  .   .  317 

Protects  the  Waldenses  ....  320 

Death  of 3*^0 

DANGER.  „  .  .      .,        OQ 

Inscription  in  TOwer  of  London    £& 

DARWIN.    (See  Evolution.; 

DEATH.  ,.. 

Simeon,  St.  John  .       ......    195 

Certainty  and  timeliness  of  .  .  19b 
Cardinal  Beaufort's  defiance  of  .  205 
Queen  Elizabeth's  exclamationf206 

Raleigh  on 315 

DELAY. 
Of  Providence:      ,         ^-    .  ^ 

Jesus  comes  at  eleventh  hour.    27 

Noah  and  Jonah &1 

Not  due  to  God's  ignorance, 
indifference,  nor  impotence. 

Due  to  God's  patience    tod 

mercy o° 

In  repentance: 

Manton  on l^o 

The  grieved  Spirit 177 

Unmanliness   of  . 1^7 

Death  and  the  builder  ....    236 
DELIBERATION  IN  religion  . 

John  Wesley  on IW 

DELI\TERANCE.  (See  Salvation.) 
DELIVERERS,  Great. 
Luther,  William  of  Orange,  Co- 
lumbus,  Samson <»1 


PAGE 

DELIVERERS,  Great.— Confinwed. 
John  Brown,  Arnold  von  Win- 

kelried 333 

DESIGN,  Argument  from. 

jEolian  harp 39 

DIFFICULTY.      (See     Environ- 
ment.) 
DISOBEDIENCE. 

Saul 151 

Grieving  the  Spirit 151 

DESPAIR. 

Of  the  Christian 108 

DOUBT. 

St.  Thomas 15 

DUTY. 
Ease  in  doing  our: 

Lazarus 51 

Child  drawing  water 51 

Adherence  to: 

Lighthouse  keeper 126 

Gunner  at  Waterloo 183 

Fleeing  from: 

Jonah     .      186 

No  duties  are  small 239 

Christians  are  held  by: 

Kite 355 

Bushnell's  advice 355 

EASTER  sermon,;The  first. 

Walk  to  Emmaus 359 

ELECTION. 
A  secret  of  God : 

Covered  hand  of  StoiC  ....   255 
A  fact : 
Witness  of  the  Spirit  ....    255 
Witness  of  the  Word  ....   257 

Witness  of  faith 258 

ENCOURAGEMENT. 

Madeira  guide 165 

ENERGY.    (See  also  Force.) 
Growth  of  the  world  in  moral : 

Battle   of   Gettysburg ....     97 
Misdirected: 

Pugilist  and  queen 329 

ENVIRONMENT,  Narrow. 
Jesus,    John.    Madame    Guyon, 

Bunyan 142,  143 

Colbert  on  the  Dutch 143 

Lincoln,  Moses,  Handel  .   .   .  144, 145 
The  nail-carved  pagoda  ....    144 

"The  brave  old  oak" 146 

The  Koh-i-noor 146 

Charles  and  Mary  Lamb  ....    147 
ERROR. 

Mistaken  railway  signal ....     21 
ETHICAL  CULTURE. 
Differs  from  sanctiflcation  .   .  .   215 
Failure  of,  without  Clirist ...   360 
ETHICS.  (See  Bible,  ethics  of.) 
EUCHARIST.    (See  also  Transub- 
stantiation.) 

Benefit  of  the 46 

EVANGELIZATION. 
Philip  and  the  Eunuch 885 


374 


A    QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 


EVOLUTION.  PAGE 

A  mere  hypothesis : 

Darwin's  statement 267 

Darwin  on  Origin  of  Man  ...  323 
Carlyle  on  Origin  of  Darwin  .  .  324 
Origin  of  mind,  conscience,  will  324 

EXPERIENCE,  Learning  by. 

Elisha's  young  man 73 

John  Brown  of  Haddington    .   .     72 

FAITH.  (See  also  Confidence  and 
Creed.) 
Practical  demonstration  of : 

Philip  and  Nathanael 9 

In  God : 

Saying  of  Duke  of  Alba ....     55 
Strengthening  of  one's : 

Niagara  Suspension  Bridge  .  .     55 
A  life  principle : 

Gastric  fluid 80 

Acting  on  : 
Jeremiah  buys  field  at  Ana- 

thoth 82 

Method  in  : 

Desk  with  365  drawers  ....     83 
Its  revelation : 

Bible  and  experience 212 

Justification  by  : 

Accepted  salvation 273 

FAULTFINDING. 

Mote  in  the  eye ;  .   .    181 

Momus's    criticisms 131 

Kavron  the  swine 133 

FORCE.    (See  also  Energy.) 

Indeflnability  of 39 

Victories    of 70 

FORGETFULNESS. 

Japanese    proverb 357 

FRIENDLINESS  of  the  Church. 
"  Recognition     of     Saints    on 

Earth" 163 

FRIENDSHIP. 

How  to  choose  friends 163 

Solomon  on 162 

Confidence  an  element  in ; 

Alexander  and  his  physicians.  163 
S5Tnpathy  an  element  of  : 

Preacher  and  painter  ....    164 
Dangers  in : 

Disintegrating  ivy 164 

Mutuality  of : 

Wounded  soldier 165 

Classic  symbol  of 166 

GAIN,  PCRSUIT  OF. 

View  from  Mt.  Tom 29 

Themistocles 31 

GENTLENESS. 
Examples  of   Christ's 134 

GLEANING. 
Gideon's  reply  to  Ephraimites  .     92 
Present  an  age  of 93 

GOD. 
Gifts  of : 
Equality  of  distribution  of  .     67 


QOD—CcniHwiied  page 

Providence  of : 

IngersoU    on 67 

Grace  of : 

Solution  of  social  inequality  .     68 
Christian  shibboleth  : 

Story  of  Jephthah 210 

Nature  of  : 

One,  triune,  and  incarnate  .  .   211 
Our  sonship  to  : 

Tich  borne    claimant 257 

Various  doctrines  of 268 

The  only  reality  : 

Brahman  doctrine  of  maya  .  .   330 
Living  for : 

The  three  urns 356 

GRACE. 
Inscrutable  operation  of  ...   .     41 

Differs  from   karma 214 

GREEK  PHILOSOPHIES. 

Stoic,  Epicurean,  Academic  .  .   234 
GREEK  RELIGION. 

St.  Paul  on 233 

Gods  of  Athens 233,  334 

GRIEF. 

David's  bereavement 116 

GROWTH. 
Nature  of 38 

HABIT,  Strength  of. 

Blacksmith's  arm 177 

HAPPINESS,  Definitions  op. 

Varro,  Plato,  Epiciu-us,  Reno    .   353 
HASTE. 
Examples  of : 

Politician  and  the  speculator  .   233 
In  spiritual  growth : 

Tourist  and  peasant 325 

In  Christian  service  : 

Moody's  converts 160 

Boy  and  seeds 226 

Jiidson 226 

HEAVEN,      Recognition      of 
Friends  in. 
Bible's  hopeful  texts  .   .111, 114, 116 
Universality  of  belief  in  ....    Ill 
Intellectual  consensus  favors    .    112 
Arguments   from   identity  and 

memory 113 

Sick  child  and  rose-tree    ....    114 

Meeting  of  veterans 114 

Compatability   of    human    and 

Divine  love 115 

HERESY.    (See  also  Infidelity 
and  Agnosticism.) 
Past  ages  of: 
Time  of  the  apostles,  middle 
ages,  and  close  of  the  eigh- 
teenth century 94 

HISTORY,  Hand  of  God  in. 

Pharaoh,  Herod,  Philip  of  Spain    74 
HOPE. 
Motto  of   London  Humane  So- 
ciety        35 

HUMANITARIANISM.     (See  Al- 
truism.) 


TOPICAL   INDEX 


375 


HUMANITY.    (See  Mercy.)         page 

IGNORANCE.    (See  Knowledge.) 
IMMORTALITY. 
Evidence  for: 

Miracle  of  Lazarus 51,  5.3 

Sign  of   Jonas 306 

Christ's  resurrection 206 

Belief  in: 
By    Greeks,    Romans,    Egyp- 
tians,    Hindus,     American 

Indians Ill,  113 

By  poets 113 

An  intuition 112 

Wordsworth  on  reaper's  song.  196 
Symbol  of: 

Real  life  of  leaf 196 

IMPOSSIBILITY. 

Egyptian  hieroglyph  for  ....     26 
INACTION. 

Drifting  ship 5C 

INCONSISTENCY,  Christian. 
Nathan's  reproof  of  David  ...    191 
Paul's  rebuke  of  Romans  ...    191 
INDEPENDENCE. 

Crockett  at  White  House  ...    163 
INDIFFERENCE. 
St.  Paul's  audience  in  Athens  .    235 
Of  God: 

Belief  of  the  Epicureans  in  .     85 
To  God: 

Carlyle  on   fools 66 

Of  the  aged 110 

Pursuit  of  wealth  and  pleas- 
ure     107 

To  anguish: 
Morbid  curiosity  at  a  hanging.  109 

Jesus  on  the  cross 109 

INDIVIDUALITY. 

Keynote  of  present  age  ....     89 
INDUSTRIAL   REFORM,    Pres- 
ent AN  AGE  OF. 

Industrial    slavery     in     early 

Rome 95 

Weavers'  wages  xmder;  Charles 

n 95 

Burns' poem:  "For a' that"  .   .     95 
INFIDELITY.     (See  also  Agnos- 
ticism.) 
At  end  of  eighteenth  century  94 

In  Yale  College 95,  266 

Reign  of  Terror 265 

Franklin's  remark  to  Paine  .   .   266 
Strategy  now    supplants   open 

warfare 266 

Resolution    of    French    Corps 

Legislatif 295 

Cause  of  "German 319 

INFLUENCE. 
For  evil: 
Effects  of  infidel's  lecture  .   .    192 
"Napoleon's  Welcome  in  Hell"  192 
For  good : 

Dr.  W.  G.  T.  Shedd 192 

"The  Greeting" 193 


INGRATITUDE.  page 

Shimei   to  David 133 

INSIGHT,  Spiritual. 
Elisha's   young  man,  Stephen, 

McCheyne 72,  73,  75 

INSINCERITY.  (See Creed  with- 
out Bklief.) 
INSTINCT,  Animal. 
Jeremiah,     Anacreon,    Homer, 
Solomon,    Professor   Newton, 

Herr  Pal  men  on 167, 168 

INTERCESSION. 

Queen    Esther 154 

Moses,      Hezekiah,    St.      Paul, 

John  Knox 155 

Legend  of  Sandalphon 156 

INTOLERANCE.    (See  Bigotry.) 
INVENTION. 
Walter  Scott  on  gas  lighting  .   .     88 
Present  age.one  of 93 

JESUS.    (See  Christ.) 
JOAN  OF  ARC. 

History  of 309,310 

Charged  with  witchcraft  and 

forwardness 311,  313 

JOY  OF  CHRISTIAN. 
John  Bradford's  remark  before 

martyrdom 108 

JUDAS  ISCARIOT. 

Judas  tree 297 

Betrays  Jesus 300 

Remorse  and  death  of 301 

Wiertz's  painting  of 301 

KARMA.    (See  Consequences  and 

Grace.) 
KNOWLEDGE,  Man's  lack  of. 
Socrates  on 186 

LABOR  WHOSE  result  is  unseen. 
Judson  and  Anworth 81 

LAW,  The  Jewish. 
Precepts  of 233 

LIBERTY  NOT  OPPOSED  to  law. 
St.  James  on  law  of  liberty     .   .     58 

French  Revolution 58 

Christ  the  type  of  free  man    .   .     59 
Captain  Clark  of  the  Oregon  .   .     60 

LORD'S  SUPPER.    (See   Eucha- 
rist.) 

MAN. 

And  the  other  animals  : 
Hamilton  and  Parker  on  .   .   .    168 

A  wanderer  from  God  : 
Image  in  the  water 169 

His  return  to  God : 

By  way  of  the  cross 170 

Bobolink 170 

Broken-winged  duck 171 

Homesick  for  God : 
St.  Augustine's  saying  ....    169 
Legend  of  Jesus  and  rabbis .  .   169 


376 


A    QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 


MATii.— Continued.  page 

Ascent  tf 323 

Destiny  of 325 

History  of  his^soul 325 

Restoration  of 326 

MARTYRDOM. 
Last  words  of  John  Bradford, 
Alice  Driver,  and  Castilia  .  108,  286 

MAYA.    (See  God.) 

MEDITATION. 

Isaac 207 

Good  results  of 209 

MERCY  OP  God. 

St.  Peter  on 84 

Barabbas 86,  302 

Woman  taken  in  adultery  ...     86 

Saul  of  Tarsus 86 

Alexander's  beacon 87 

Jesus  at  the  door 110 

MERCY  TO  ANIMALS. 

Moses  on 238 

Bentham   and  Parker    on    ani- 
mals' rights 240 

Thoreau's  and  Lincoln's  ....  240 

Wordsworth  on 341 

MILLENNIUM. 

Golden  Age  before  us 88 

miracles! 

Loaves  and  fishes 25 

Walking  on  water 25,  U6 

Growth 25,39 

Anecdote  of  Xerxes 27 

MISSIONS. 
Sir  Rivers  Thompson  on  ...   .     91 
The  open  door  to: 

India,  Japan,  Africa,  China    .    180 
Success  of: 

St.  Patrick,  St.  Augustine,  St. 

Boniface 181 

Volunteers  for: 

Crusades,  our  Civil  War   ...    181 
Last  century  the  age  of: 

Statistics 181,183 

Money  for: 

The  mountain  of  silver  ....    183 
MISSIONARIES. 
Compared    to    Cromwell's    sol- 
diers     330 

Allan   Gardiner,  missionary   to 

Tierra  del  Fuego 3.34 

NEWSPAPER,  The  Sunday. 
The  burglar's  assistant     ....    345 
Unnecessary,      unlawful,      dis- 
reputable     345, 346 

Statistics  of  sensationalism    .   .    346 
Robs  employees  of  rest    ....   347 

Invades  Sabbath  rest 348 

Wnfits  for  sanctuary 348 

Enfeebles  conscience 349 

NEW  YEAR. 
Laban's  invitation 35d 

NIRVANA.    (See  Pantheism.) 


OBSERVATION,  Effects  of. 

Galileo,  Newton,  Luther  .  .  . 
OMNISCIENCE  of  God. 

Statue  of  Jupiter 

OPPORTUNITY, 

The  Lost : 

Felix 

The  sleeper  at  Paradise  gate 

Wasted  : 
Army  of  the  Potomac  .  .  . 
ORTHODOXY. 

Nature  of 

Legal  definition  of 

Christ  the  life  of  Christian  .  . 

Bible  the  symbol  of  Christian  . 

Administered  by  the  Spirit .  . 

Reverence  for 


PAGE 

.    194 


84 


172 
178 

330 

260 
261 
261 
262 
264 
264 


PANTHEISM. 

Brahman  doctrine  of  Nirvana  .   330 
PATIENCE. 

Lad  shoveling  coal 57 

Isaiah  and  St.  Peter  on 222 

Panacea  for  evil 222 

Preparation  for  college 222 

Christ's  preparation 223 

Burns  on 223 

PEACE. 

Victories  of 40 

Christian  in  the  chamber  of  .   .   259 
PERSONAL  HABITS,  Reform  in. 

Vices  now  disreputable    ....     96 
PESSIMISM. 
Characteristic    of    the  secular 

Christian 82 

PHILOSOPHY,    Ancient.      (See 
also  Greek  Philosophies.) 

Gibbon  on  failure  of 366 

PILATE. 

A  coward 30a 

History  of 303,304 

Meets   Jesus 304 

Vision  of  his  wife 305 

A    sychophant 307 

Death  of 307 

PLAN,  God's. 

Fall  of  Jericho 55 

POISE. 

Negress's  burden 77 

POLITICAL  REFORM. 

Bribery  under  William  III  .   .  .     97 
POPULARITY. 

Carlyle   on 162 

"  Wooden  spoon  "  at  Yale  .  .  .   182 
POWER. 
God  the  source  of  : 

Micah  and  St.  Paul 327 

God's,  immeasurable  and  illimit- 
able : 

Power  of  the  sun .327 

Latency  and  waste  of  moral : 

Waste  of  material  power  .  .   328 
Loss  of,  due  to  sin  : 
Samson 332 


TOPICAL  INDEX 


377 


PAOB 

PRACTICALITY. 

Voltaire  on  La  Harpe 160 

PRAYER. 
Power  of : 
Legend  of  St.  Gudule  ....    141 

Wrestling  Jacob 141 

Answers  to  : 

By  Christ     156 

0"f  Esther 157 

Of  American  negroes  ....    157 

Old  Janet  and  Satan 220 

PREDESTINATION. 
Does    not   interfere   with    free 

will 214 

PREPARATION.     (See  also   Pa- 
tience.) 
Building  of  Solomon's  temple  .     38 
PRESENT  AGE. 
Spirit  of: 
An  age   of   reason,  individu- 
ality,    protest,     humanity, 
spiritual    dyamics,    and 

truth 89,  90,   93 

An  age  of  toleration,  ortho- 
doxy, morality,  industrial 
reform,  and   moral   energy 

94,95,   96 
PRESENT,  Importance  of  the. 

Philosopher  in  the  pit 209 

PROGRESS. 
In  religion: 

Story  of  Blethuselah 161 

Mummy  of  Rameses 245 

In  salvation 246 

Tennyson  as  child  and  poet    .   .    247 

Pillars  of  Hercules 248 

In  duty: 
St.  Paul's  enlightenment  .   .   .    248 

Examples  of 249 

Alexander  the  Great 274 

Of  the  world: 
Since  time  of  Cromwell    .   .   .    317 
PROPHECY. 
Truth  of,  proved  by: 
Sign  of  Jonas 204 

PROTEST  AGAINST  AUTHORITY. 

Control  of  a  sliip 89 

PROVIDENCE. 
Its  elements: 
Predestination,    Government, 

and  Grace 214 

Molineeus  and  the  spider      .   .   .   241 
PURPOSE. 
Thinking  to  some: 
Howe       and      the      sewing- 
machine    208 

Fixity  of : 

St.    Paul 16 

Grecian  athletes 16, 17 

Christopher  Wren 161 

Vespasian's    seal 208 

Candle  shot  through  plank  ,   333 


PAOE 

RATIONALISM. 

Jlan  lost  on  prairie 153 

READINESS. 

Paul  before  execution 77 

REASON,  The  present  age  of. 

Bancroft  on  Descartes 89 

REFORM.  (See  also  Civic,  In- 
dustrial, Personal,  Politi- 
cal, Social,  Temperance  Re- 
form.) 
Opposition  to: 
Hostility  to  Nehemiah.  to 
Anthony  Comstock,  to  Sal- 
vation Army,    to   Missions, 

123,  124,  125 
REGENERATION      an      inward 
change. 

Nicodemus 215 

RELIGION. 
Lack  of : 

Ahab 3 

Formal : 
Of  Pharisees  and  ritualists  198, 199 

Tyudal)  on 199 

Of  rhapsody: 

Renan 200 

Sacrilegious  plays 200 

Of  philosophy: 

Grandiloquence 200 

Of  self-culture: 
Dr.  Abernethy's  cure  ....   201 
REMORSE. 

Gough's,  for  early  sins 120 

Lady    Macbeth's 121 

King    Charles    after    St.  Bar- 

tholemew's 135 

Nero's,    for     murder     of     his 

mother 139 

Richard  the  Third's 139 

Byron  on 139 

Of  Emperor  Constance 253 

Of  Judas  Iscariot 301 

Of  Pilate 307 

Of  Samson 333 

RENUNCIATION. 
Scheflfer's  picture  of  the  Temp- 
tation       31 

REPENTANCE. 

Prodigal  Son 14 

Valley  of  Bochim 23 

"The  Return" 153 

Does  not  alone  remove  sin  : 

Dr   Samuel  Johnson 60 

Staupitz  to  Luther 303 

Fervor  of  : 

Dr.  Gurnall  on 314 

David  on 814 

REPROOF,  Open. 

Paul  to  Peter 133 

RESCUE. 

Kissing  a  convict 36 

RESULTS,    Great,   from    small 

BEGINNINGS. 

Woman  of  Samaria 81 


378 


A    QUIVER    OF  ARROWS 


RESULTS— Con^Tiwed                  page 
Philip  and  the  Eunuch 81 

RESOLUTION. 
Spilied  sandals 356 

RESURRECTION. 

Lazarus 52 

Child  of  the  widow  of  Nain  .   .   .    117 
St.  John,    Job,    David,  Ezekiel 

OD 250 

Quaker's  dream  of  his  death  .  .   253 

RETRIBUTION. 
Certainty  of : 

Mills  of  God 87 

Solomon  on lis 

"  Sowing  one's  wild  oats  "...    118 

The  king's   escort 121 

Adoni-bezek 135 

RETROSPECT. 
Returned    Scotchman 358 

REVELATION. 
Bhnd  boy  Copane 231 

RIGHTEOUSNESS. 
Man  without    a   wedding   gar- 
ment   109 

Three  elements  of  : 
Regeneration,    sanctiflcation, 
and  imputation 215 

SABBATH.  (See  also  Newspaper, 
Sunday.) 
Desecration : 

Isaiah  on 217 

Present 217 

Rests  on  Divine  authority  : 

Christ  did  not  abrogate  it .  .  21 7 

Rabbinical  rules  for 217 

Rest  on,  necessary  to  health : 

Opinion  of  Dr.  Haegler    .  .   .  218 
Based  on  our  sonship  to  God  : 

James  II.  and  the  royal  seal .  218 
Necessary  to  spiritual  life : 

Analogy  to  physical  life  ...  219 
Observance  of : 

Rest  from  unnecessary  work.  219 

Works  of  mercy 219 

Refraining  from  worldlypleas- 

ures 219 

SALOON. 
Enemy  of    man,    home,  State, 

and  Church 338 

Witnesses   against 339 

Victims    of 339 

Chief  Justice  Coleridge  on  .   .   .  340 

Shakespeare  on  drink 341 

Church's  relation  to 343 

SALVATION. 
Way  to: 

Rome 21 

Bunyan's  pilgrims 24 

Anecdote  of  Covenanters    ...  28 

Losing  one's  life 29 

Chinese  potter 30 

Prisoner's  chain  at  Treviso  .   .   .  125 

Bhnd  Bartimeus 147 


SALVATION— ConKnMed.  page 

Business  made  a  bar  to: 

Busy  father 174 

jEsop's  simpleton 174 

Felix 175 

In  time  of  need: 
Hebrew  children,  Jacob,  Eli- 
jah   187 

In  the  arms  of  death: 

Lad  brought  home 188 

Prom  fear  of  the  judgment: 
Jesus  our  substitute  and  advo- 
cate   188 

A  renewal  of  life: 

Healing  of  the  blind 251 

Spiritual  deafness 252 

Thirsting  deer 252 

Prodigal's  resolve 253 

Acceptance  necessary  to: 

Lost  Alpine  tourists 278 

SANCTIFICATION. 
Is  ingrained: 
Differs  from  ethical  culture   .    215 
SCIENCE,  Its  field  the  visible. 

Student  and  air-gun 213 

SELF. 
Indulgence  of: 

Alexander  the  Great 6 

Must  be  eliminated  from  moral 
judgments: 

Athenian  sculptor 65 

Surrender  of,  to  God: 
The     Brahman     doctrine    of 

Apavarga 129 

Salvation  of: 

Captain  of  the  Algona. 
Sacrifice  of : 

Rizpah 156 

Living  for : 
The  visiting  church-goer  .  .   .   365 
SENSUALITY. 

Greek  temple  of  pleasure ....    298 
SERVICE,  Saa'ed  fob. 

Lazarus 52 

SIGNS. 
Uselessness  of  : 

Hindoo  conjurer 203 

Already  existing : 

In  the  Bible 204 

Sign  of  Prophet  Jonas  ....    204 
SILENCE. 

In  nature 40 

SIN. 
Perversion  of  moral  sense  by  : 

The  Compass 10 

Perversion  of  will  by  : 

Story  of  Israel  Putnam  ....     11 
Snares  of : 

Jericho  Road 33 

Statue  of  Liberty 33 

Bondage  of : 

Lazarus 50 

A  fortress  to  be  stormed: 
Jericho 54 


TOPICAL  INDEX 


379 


SIN— ConKnued.  page 

Revelry  of : 

Laugh  of  the  harlot 107 

Burning  asylum 108 

Secret : 

Discovery  of  an  ancient  theft .  108 
Knowledge  of,  essential  to  guilt: 

Tichborne  claimant 115 

No  remission  of,  by  contrition 
alone  : 

Lady  Macbeth 131 

Conquest  over : 

Pompey's  triumph 148 

Terrors  of: 

Cornwall  miners 175 

Dangers  of : 

Yacht  and  the  iceberg  ....    176 
Conviction  of: 

David 186 

Thief  on  the  cross 186 

No  sins  are  small 239 

Is  death  and  defilement: 

Corpse  on  the  ice-floe  ....    251 
Inevitableness  of: 

Swiss  glacier 276 

Character  of 
Universal .  distributive,  all-per- 
vasive,   inevitable 276 

SINCERITY. 

Disciples  refused  by  Christ  .   .   .    199 
SOCIAL  REFORM. 

Christ  the  center  of 90 

Lack  of  charitable  institutions 

among    ancients 96 

Nehemiah's  rebuilding  the  tem- 
ple    ".....    122 

Anti-vice  crusade 124 

SOCIOLOGY.    (See  Altruism.) 
SOLITUDE,    Dkteriobatino    ef- 
fect OF. 
Wordsworth  at  Rydal  Mount .    1G3 
SOPHISTRY.    (See  Casuistry.) 
SPIRIT,  The  Holy. 

Character  of 256 

John  Wesley  on 256 

Key  to  the  Bible: 
Captain  and  his  charts  ...   264 
STANDARDS  of  Measurement. 

St.  Paul  on 62 

Pagan,  Modern,  Platonic,  Chris- 
tian,  Fashionable  ....  62,  63,  64 
STUMBLING-BLOCKS. 

Cbrist's  saying 196 

Cranmer  at  the  stake 190 

SUCCESS  THROUGH  difficulties. 

(See  Environment.) 
SUNDAY.    (See  Sabbath.) 
SUPERSTITION. 
Guiteau 152 

TACT,  Lack  of. 

The  catechized  professor  .   .   .    1.31 
TALEBEARING. 

Meanness  of  gossip 132 


TEMPERANCE  REFORM.  page 

Dram-shops  of  Manhattan  ...  70 
First  temperance  society  ...  95 
Liquor  bottles  exempted  from 

duty 95 

Par     capita     consumption     of 
liquor 337 

TEMPTATION,  Facing. 
David  and  Goliath  ....  187 

THOUGHTLESSNESS. 

McCheyne    on 207 

Disastrous  results  of  ...   .  207 

THOUGHTS. 
Governing  one's: 

A  Scotchman's  saying  ....    208 
Elevated: 
On  sin,  death,  and  the  cross  .   209 

TIME,  Flight  of. 
The  Phenician  and  his  ships  .   .    195 

TOLERATION,  The  present  an 

AGE  OF. 

Persecution  of  Galileo 94 

Opening  of  first  Congress  with 

prayer 94 

TRANSUBSTANTIATION. 

Poison  in  the  wafer 46 

TRIFLES. 

War  over  a  bucket 240 


UNITY,  Christian. 
Trial  of  General  Bazaine 


182 


WASHINGTON,  GEORGE, 

Love  for  his  mother 291 

Modesty,  valor,  integrity  .   .  29i,  295 
Belief  in,  God,  Christ,  the  Bible, 

the  Sabbath 292,  293,  294 

Church-member.ship 293 

Prayer  at  Valley  Forge  .  .  .   .   !   295 
WISDOM. 
Dr.  Johnson  on  importance  of 

all  knowledge 227 

Definition  of 227 

Spiritual,  is  intuitive : 
Compared  with  instinct  ...    228 
Not  attained  by  science  ...    231 
Spiritual,  is  progressive  : 

Mouse  and  cheese-box  ....    229 
Three  steps  toward  : 
Credulity,  doubt,  and  belief, 
„  229, 230 

WOMANLINESS,  Examples  of  : 
Joan  of  Arc.  mother  of  Benja- 
min West,  Vashti,  Esther   .  .    312 
WOMEN  IN  the  Church. 

Kapiolani 313 

WONDERS,  Seven. 

Ancient  world 106 

Modern  world 106 

WORK.    (See  Action.) 
WORLD,  A  broader  conception 
OF  the. 
Hesiod's  sajring 74 


380 


A   QUIVER   OF  ARROWS 


WORRIES  OF  LIFE. 

David's  experience  with  bees . 
WORRY. 
Besetting  sin  of  Americans  .  . 

Thackeray's  saying 

Reasons  for 


PAGE 

.     73 


76 


YOUTH. 
Sins  of : 
Girls  and  fast  companioDB  . 


78,83 


118 


YOUTH.— Continued.  pagb 

"  Boys  will  be  boys  " 118 

Timothy's  good  example  ...    119 
Harper,  James,  Words  of  his 

mother  to 120 

Gough's  remorse  for  early  sins  120 

Burns'  epitaph 121 

The  time  for  achievement : 
John  De  Medici,  Grotius,  La- 
fayette,    Newton,      Calvin, 
Marconi,  Napoleon,  Christ .   120 


-D- 


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Date  Due 


Ap  5    38 


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W  27 

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